Thierry Neuville has been driving for Hyundai longer than Oliver Solberg, Sami Pajari, Adrien Fourmaux and Josh McErlean have been rallying, full stop.

His loyalty and commitment to the brand knows no bounds. Ever since Hyundai returned to the championship in 2014, Neuville’s been in the lineup.

It’s not just a workplace, it’s Neuville’s home.

But unfortunately homes aren’t always the happiest of places. Neuville won the world title with Hyundai in 2024, but things have been fairly bleak since. Has he lost motivation since he ended his long wait to become world champion? Is he still the same driver he was? Or is the team’s competitive position simply too challenging at times?

Andrea Adamo has another theory. Appearing on the latest episode of If You Permit Me To Say – a Club DirtFish exclusive podcast – the former Hyundai boss believes that Neuville is suffering the consequences of carrying the team on his shoulders.

Adamo was Neuville's team principal between 2019 and 2021

“I don’t know him better than anyone, but I did have the possibility to understand him when we were working together,” Adamo said. “And for sure he is the kind of person that is taking the challenge very [much] as a personal one.

“Rightly or not, but surely rightly from his point of view, he is trying to keep, let me permit to say, Hyundai on his own shoulders, maybe more than his real job [of driving], and he feels that he has to do it to keep the team together.

“Being the person he is – that is a very nice person, he’s someone with a much bigger heart than what people may think – he’s trying to hold everything together, to try to do more than maybe what is possible to do, to let things run better and smoother. And this sometimes puts yourself in a loop with too much mental effort: you have to focus on so many things and this can create then a series of consequences, no?”

Typically, Adamo has an example to illustrate his point.

Watch the full episode on Club DirtFish

“If you jump in the car and you think just to go fast, it’s one sort of approach. If you are driving and you think about many things that even if you are not really thinking in this moment, but it’s a mental effort, maybe the global picture becomes more complicated. And I have the feeling that maybe he’s carrying himself with too many responsibilities and trying to do so many things rightly, because I know him, you know.

“He can also say, as long as it’s working, it’s working, if not, I will find something else. Instead, he’s trying really… because we cannot also forget that since day one, Thierry was there. So he feels himself very much part of it and feels maybe more responsible than what it is to keep everything together.”

Hyundai has evolved over the years, but Neuville has been the constant – through the bad times and the good. His work ethic, and approach to finding solutions, marks him out, but is equally reminiscent of one of his former team-mates.

“There is one thing of Thierry that I always appreciate: you can fight with him, but when things are getting cold, you can sit and discuss and clarify and he will never close the door, but always try to find solutions and he will always try to make the things work,” Adamo explained.

No matter the point of contention, Neuville and Adamo always found a way to move forward

“We had, of course working together, some moments, but we always, I don’t want to say turn the page, because there were no page to turn, but we always say, how we move on, how we find solution, how we get better as a team. That is not something that you often find. There were people that were there when they need you and then they disappear and there were people that if you fight with them, then you close the door.

“Ott [Tänak] was like this in his own way, but honestly it’s another one that is like this in in my opinion. They are much more similar than what people may think.”

Activate your Club DirtFish Gold membership to listen to Adamo’s podcast in full, where he also discusses Hyundai’s chances in Croatia, what he’d change about WRC testing and his memoirs of the final Group B season in 1986.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Andrea Adamo, Hyundai, Thierry Neuville, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 8, 2026 DirtFish

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Neuville may be struggling because he's taking on too much responsibility trying to carry Hyundai's team on his shoulder

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This mental burden could be affecting his driving performance during Hyundai's current competitive downturn.

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Neuville has been with Hyundai since their 2014 WRC return, longer than some current drivers have been rallying.

Croatia might be a new addition for the 2026 World Rally Championship compared to 2025, but it’s not a new challenge having featured from 2021-24.

Yet, the stages the drivers will tackle this week are actually quite different.

Friday and Sunday’s legs of Croatia are brand-new to the WRC, with a new test also joining Saturday’s loop of tradtional four.

Not only does that offer crews a fresh challenge on the recce with brand-new pacenotes to write, it’s created a different feel to the event itself.

“Yeah to be fair it’s not so much Croatia style,” Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux told DirtFish.

“In some stages it feels a bit like Canarias and Corsica. It’s beautiful but it’s a bit different than what we used to run. It’s a challenge, it’s new stages and it’s always good to have new stages in the championship.”

Oliver Solberg concurred.

Racy stages feature on Friday, with gravel (rather than mud) polluting the stages after each car

“I like it,” he smiled. “I mean the newer, the better. I think especially when it’s first [my] time with the Toyota on all these type of roads I think it’s almost better if it’s new because then everyone’s a little bit more on an even playing field. So for me, it’s good.”

Pollution is likely to be a factor, especially on Friday, offering an advantage to those further up the running order. Like Solberg; like championship-leader Elfyn Evans.

“It’s quite different obviously,” Evans said of the new stages. “I would say the stages are probably a bit faster, a bit more flowing, generally a bit more clean but there are still some very dirty parts still.”

Mud being pulled onto the line has traditionally been a factor in Croatia, but not this year. Instead, says WRC2 contender Andreas Mikkelsen, it’ll be gravel and stones.

“Even though Saturday is similar Friday is completely new, [and] Sunday is completely new,” commented the Škoda pilot .”It’s more racy I would say, this year, but still a lot of pollution can be pulled. But I don’t think it’ll be mud, it can be gravel stuff so it should be a little bit of a different challenge. More racy.”

Hayden Paddon has a different view on the stages to most, as he’s never competed here before. He’s therefore less sensitive to the itinerary changes, but fears they won’t work in his favor on the opening day.

“[They’re] cool stages,” he said. “Friday’s quite fast and technical but there’s going to be a lot of pollution, a lot of gravel can come out onto the stages so that’s obviously not going to help us one day one.

“But come day two hopefully we can play our game of chess and get a little bit of time back on the second day. It’ll be playing a bit of a long game.”

The final factor could be the weather, as defending Croatia Rally winner (from the ERC) Jon Armstrong teased.

“Some interesting conditions,” said the M-Sport man. “You have a little bit of snow at the side of the roads, especially on Saturday’s stages, but we’ll see . There might be a little chance of snow on Friday to go onto the Saturday stages, so we’ll see what happens.”

Whatever happens, Toyota’s Sami Pajari believes one particular skillset will pay dividends.

“The stages look really, really enjoyable,” he mused. “Maybe you need some balls in there, I would say!”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, recce, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 8, 2026 DirtFish

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Croatia Rally's new Friday and Sunday stages create a faster, more flowing challenge than traditional muddy routes.

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Fresh stages level the playing field for all drivers, making experience less advantageous than usual.

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Croatia previously ran in WRC from 2021-24 before returning with this revamped format in 2026.

Realizing dreams is a daily deal for DirtFish. It’s what we do. But, for one week only, we’re giving you the opportunity to succeed in some of your wilder wishes.

Between April 27 and May 4, DirtFish will be hosting an online auction with some of the most extraordinary events, visits, team kit and memorabilia on offer from the world of motorsport

We’re talking celebrity rides at Goodwood’s iconic Festival of Speed, a track day at America’s oldest permanent road course, race suits from Lia Block (as well as some of the stars of Formula 1) and the kind of car you’ll all want to get your hands on. And that’s just for starters. There’s so much more to come when the Cars & Bids auction goes live on Monday April 27.

All funds go towards furthering our ground-breaking DirtFish Women in Motorsport (501c3) program.

As well as supporting DirtFish Women in Motorsport drivers competing in the 2026 American Rally Association National Championship, we’re funding young women getting into motorsport every day. We’re planning mechanic workshops for women, led by women; sourcing high-level simulator time for young women drivers; hosting co-driver seminars; media, journalist and sponsorship seminars; off-road, bike and stunt sessions.

DirtFish Women in Motorsport co-ordinator Josie Rimmer said: “From the moment we first started talking about this auction, the response has been just incredible. The desire to help promote DirtFish Women in Motorsport, the determination to pave the way for more women competing, working and participating at every level in motorsport is both humbling and awesome.

“We’re going to bring you the opportunity to see the Forest Rally Stage at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed as you have never seen it before. You’ll sit in the hottest – OK, second hottest – seat in the house as you co-drive a star of the world of rallying around that iconic gravel stage.

“Willow Springs Raceway and the Singer Drivers Club have donated a Clubsport Experience Day. You’ll be bidding for a dream day in a race car, with a four-hour session on the iconic streets of Willow Springs in a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport – including one-on-one professional coaching.

“You can then put that track time to the best possible use with two hours on the Jenson Button Karting Circuit. Lunch? Provided, as are refreshments through the day. I mean… how awesome is that! A huge thanks to our friends at Willow Springs for this one.

“There are so many more bids coming. If race suits are your thing, you have to check out the chance to buy one of Lia Block’s suits. Fresh from two years with Williams Racing in the F1 Academy, Lia’s back to the stages for this year’s ARA and is one of world motorsport’s highest regarded and most exciting rising stars.

“And yes, we have a car for you to bid on! Stay tuned for more details on more bids.

“And talking of more details… lots of you have reached out to ask about this year’s DirtFish Women in Motorsport Summit. The Summit has been an absolute cornerstone of our WiM initiative; led by Formula 1 team principal Claire Williams, last year’s event was a sell-out, with more half a million people watching live around the world. Details of this year’s event are coming – and, in typical DirtFish fashion, this one will be bigger and better than ever later this summer.”

For now, it’s time to focus on the DirtFish Women in Motorsport auction. It runs on Cars & Bids from April 27 to May 4. Stay tuned, we wouldn’t want you to miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

Tags: Women in motorsport

Publish Date April 8, 2026 DirtFish

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DirtFish's Cars & Bids auction offers exclusive motorsport experiences to fund their Women in Motorsport program.

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The auction directly supports women entering motorsport through training, workshops, and competitive opportunities.

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Last year's Women in Motorsport Summit led by Claire Williams attracted over 500,000 viewers worldwide.

Beleaguered M-Sport Ford driver Josh McErlean says it’s time to go back to basics for next week’s Croatia Rally.

The Irishman crashed at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, struggled for form in Sweden and then suffered a third round complicated by engine and transmission problems which ultimately forced him out of the Safari Rally at the end of the penultimate day.

Looking ahead to next week’s first pure asphalt outing of the season, McErlean said: “What’s done is done this season. I can’t change it, but I can learn from it. And getting the absolute basics right will mean that the pace we are looking for will come along more easily.

“Croatia is a technical rally, and so it needs those basics to be nailed. We have been looking at last year’s asphalt speed, and I feel we have made a step forward from that. We now must combine it all and ensure we get a solid weekend under our belts.”

Croatia is the first of two back-to-back asphalt WRC qualifiers, with the Canaries following a fortnight later.

“Having two Tar events on the bounce is a nice thing to have, as it means you can really find your balance, rather than adapting to different surfaces, and I’m looking forward to the first full asphalt test of the year.

“We have been working very hard to get a nice feeling on Tarmac underneath us [at the pre-event test], and that’s a really important factor on these types of events. On the gravel, to a degree, you have some flexibility, but not on the fast Tar events, so we have been really drilling down on getting that right and executing everything properly.

“It’s looking like a very interesting rally from what we have seen so far and having a new route will certainly level the playing field a little for everyone.”

Words:David Evans

Tags: Croatia Rally 2026, Josh McErlean, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 7, 2026 DirtFish

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Katsuta feels “lighter” after maiden WRC win

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McErlean refocuses on fundamentals after scoring just two points in three WRC rounds.

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Consecutive asphalt rallies offer crucial opportunity to build momentum and confidence.

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Croatia features a new route that could level the playing field for all drivers.

Hyundai has continued a tradition of remembering the late Craig Breen on Croatia’s World Rally Championship round with special liveries, unveiling an updated version of its 2026 paint job for this week’s event.

Breen died in a Croatia pre-event test in 2023 and Hyundai has carried tributes on its car ever since – running a full Irish tricolor livery that year and a further flag tribute in 2024. ‘ForCraig’ features on the i20 N Rally1 at all WRC rounds.

For 2026 artwork of Breen has been placed on the roof and door panels, with the iconic “Flat to the Square Right” quote on the right door. The Craig Breen Foundation, which supports Irish rallying talent through prizes and coaching, is also present on the car.

“The sentiment is still the same within the team,” said Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul. “We want to continue to remember Craig Breen not only for the driver he was on the stages, but also the man he was off them.

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“Craig was the epitome of what rallying is in every element of his life; from his camaraderie on event, to his passion for nurturing the next generation of talent in his native Ireland, everyone can pinpoint something about him that impacted them positively. We are honoured to have been a small part of his life, and I can speak for the whole team when I say that we will do all we can to help his memory live on.”

Hyundai WRC sporting director Andrew Wheatley added: “It’s evident that everyone in the Service Park has been touched by the generosity, sincerity and good humour of Craig, and that we all miss his presence.

“These special liveries are just a small way the team can pay tribute to him, especially here at Croatia Rally. I have been around the WRC for a long time, so it’s not lost on me the effects Craig’s passing has had, and through our own initiatives and those of the Craig Breen Foundation, it’s crucial that we all do what we can to remember him.”

Thierry Neuville, Adrien Fourmaux and Hayden Paddon will run the special livery on their cars this week.

Tags: Craig Breen, Croatia Rally 2026, Hyundai, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 7, 2026 DirtFish

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McErlean going back to basics for Croatia

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Hyundai honors late driver Craig Breen with special artwork livery featuring his iconic rally quote for Croatia Rally.

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The tribute continues supporting Irish rallying talent through the Craig Breen Foundation established in his memory.

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Breen tragically died during pre-event testing in Croatia in 2023, making this location particularly meaningful for trib

Toyota’s Jari-Matti Latvala has done his best to hype Hyundai up. Now Hyundai has done its best to hype itself down.

The i20 squad lands in Croatia this week in need of a strong result to prevent Toyota from running away with this year’s World Rally Championship.

Latvala, Toyota’s team principal, has made no secret of the fact he had expected stronger opposition so far in 2026, especially in Sweden.

“They’ve been a bit behind,” he told DirtFish. “I must say they haven’t been on the level I expected them to be. But now in Croatia I think there is a chance that they will be challenging us a lot more.”

But despite the obvious desire to end Toyota’s dominance, Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley has warned against expecting a resurgence.

“Croatia Rally is potentially the first event of the season where pure performance will be a key factor,” he began. “The team has been working hard on the setup of the car to improve the drivability when the surface grip changes.”

And then the key bit: “While we have made positive steps, we won’t have all of the revisions in place to demonstrate our full potential – it will be a step-by-step process over the coming events.”

To borrow Adrien Fourmaux’s phrasing, Tarmac has been the “black beast” of Hyundai’s ‘evo’ i20 N Rally1, but on all surfaces drivers have struggled with a car beset by a narrow operating window.

Thierry Neuville is therefore singing from the same hymn sheet as Wheatley.

“We’ve struggled a bit on Tarmac recently, so Croatia Rally will be a challenging round for us,” he said. “It’s one of the toughest Tarmac events in the world, but I’m really looking forward to the new stages; the location has changed this year, and it seems like the roads are quite different from what we’ve faced before.

“New Tarmac roads are always an extra element for us to learn, especially with changing weather conditions, but generally I enjoy new stages and the challenges they bring. Generally, the grip is low and there’s a lot of cutting, so you always need to manage your speed to ensure you make your corner if the conditions are worse than expected.”

Hyundai has never won in Croatia before, and hasn't won on Tarmac since 2024

History is against Hyundai in Croatia, too. It hasn’t won an asphalt round of the WRC since late 2024, and has never topped the podium in Croatia.

It did, however, outscore Toyota for the first time in 2026 at the recent Safari Rally Kenya.

“So far this year, the WRC has given the drivers some incredible conditions,” Wheatley added. “Monte-Carlo was exceptional for the amount of snow and slush, Sweden was colder than usual – but with smaller snowbanks than normal to catch the drivers if they stray off line – and Safari was the full Kenyan experience.

“We have seen plenty of extremes, so we hope to get back to a ‘normal’ event in Croatia, but we have the challenge of a new location in and around Rijeka. The new stages will level the playing field slightly.

“The stages are challenging but they reward commitment, so we will need to be at 100% from the very first corner to fight for a podium here. If the weather is dry commitment will be high, however if the rain does come, it can change the trajectory of the event entirely and attrition will become a major factor. We know that our preference is consistent conditions, so if it is going to rain, we need it to rain all week.

“The reliability of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car has been a key factor for us so far this season, and as a team we will be taking every opportunity possible to ensure that our crews have the best chance to be in the fight on Sunday afternoon.”

Both teams are playing a strong media game: Toyota painting Hyundai out to be a threat so as to keep its team sharp; Hyundai lowballing itself so that a potential victory seems like an overachievement.

Twenty special stages will reveal whose pre-match prediction proved prophetic.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Andrew Wheatley, Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, Hyundai, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 7, 2026 DirtFish

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Hyundai warns it won't show full potential in Croatia despite needing strong results to challenge Toyota's dominance.

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The team risks falling further behind in the championship if Toyota continues its winning streak unchallenged.

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Hyundai has never won Croatia Rally and hasn't claimed victory on tarmac since late 2024.

Three rounds into the World Rally Championship season and Toyota has three wins in a row – for the second year running.

Toyota’s deputy team principal Juha Kankkunen told DirtFish in the days leading up to the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally that there’d be no repeat of its 2025 dominance, that Hyundai would draw closer. That has yet to happen: Adrien Fourmaux’s second place on the Safari is the only time Toyota has been blocked from sweeping the podium places so far in 2026.

It would be understandable for winning to simply become normal and the minimum expectation for Toyota. But team principal Jari-Matti Latvala has warned against his own team becoming too comfortable with that winning feeling.

“You don’t necessarily 100% get used to it, but the expectations are growing,” Latvala said on DirtFish’s latest episode of SPIN, The Rally Pod. “Your expectations are that you should be able to always fight for the win.

“There is a risk sometimes that you think that the winning is getting normal. But it should never get absolutely normal because it’s always something special when you win; meaning that when you win, you have to work for it. You have to do things right. It’s not that it’s an element which comes to you on the tray table.

Fourmaux has been only interloper among Toyota's otherwise iron grip on the WRC podium in 2026

“That’s always something you have to remind [yourself in the] back of your head. That the day when you start to get too comfortable, then the others will pass you by quite quickly. That is a challenging part, which you have to adjust in your head.”

Hyundai’s mid-season resurgence last year kept Toyota on its toes; its pace on the fast gravel of Estonia and Finland put the i20 N Rally1s right at the heart of the lead battle, with Oliver Solberg the only Toyota able to match Ott Tänak’s pace in Tartu.

“It wakes you up,” said Latvala, “because then when you get a little bit comfortable with these wins, then comes a moment that you realize that, OK, wow, the others have been working hard and they found out something more than the others.

“Oliver Solberg, when he came to Estonia, he was out from the box when he was doing the testing, finding a little bit different setup than our top drivers. The setup was working and he basically was very comfortable with the car and he won the event. Then we did the correction with the other guys for Finland.

“That’s sometimes like when you are too much in your own circle, these moments comes up that somebody goes a little bit out from the box and finds something else, or does things a little bit differently.

“But you need these moments because that keeps you more in the game. If you don’t get them, then it can start to go step by step downhill if you’re comfortable with the winning all the time.”

What does that mean in the short term, though? Latvala is convinced Toyota’s dominance over arch-rivals Hyundai is at risk of being curtailed in Croatia – especially with so much of the itinerary being new to the WRC.

“I expect now also that Hyundai will be closer,” he said. “They’ve been a bit behind. I must say they haven’t been on the level I expected them to be. But now in Croatia I think there is a chance that they will be challenging us a lot more.

“And of course we hope to see also M-Sport Ford, that they would be also joining in the fight. But overall this event is more focused on the [pace] notes and who can get comfortable with the new roads.”

Tags: Croatia Rally 2026, Jari-Matti Latvala, SPIN The Rally Pod, Toyota Gazoo Racing, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 6, 2026 DirtFish

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Toyota's Latvala warns against complacency despite three straight WRC wins to start 2026 season.

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Overconfidence could allow rivals like Hyundai to close the gap and challenge Toyota's current dominance.

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Toyota swept all podium spots except Safari Rally where Fourmaux finished second for another team.

Takamoto Katsuta is heading to Croatia Rally as part of a very small club of people for the very first time: World Rally Championship event winners. He’s now among the current crop of six elite drivers to have stood on the top step at rallying’s highest level.

The outpouring of emotion from the moment he crossed the flying finish at Hell’s Gate in Kenya was clear. Even two hours after bringing a 94-rally wait for a maiden WRC win to an end, he was already feeling a difference.

“One of the big things is the weight lifted a bit off of the shoulders,” Katsuta told DirtFish at the finish. “I should be more relaxed for the next rallies, but it does not mean anything is easier.”

He’s now had three weeks to digest those emotions.

First-time winner was overcome with emotion at the end of Safari Rally Kenya

The first win tends to create a mental shift in a driver. You’ve done it once, so you can do it again. In Katsuta’s case, it’s as if the time he was chasing a first WRC win belongs in the distant past, a fading memory.

“It already feels like one year ago,” said Katsuta. “It’s a long time ago in my head.

“I was in Japan and did some events [Red Bull Tokyo Drift] and it was such a nice event as well. But I’m fully focused for next rally in Croatia.

“I almost forgot what happened, but yeah, it was one of the nice memories.”

Now he’s gotten back aboard the wheel of a GR Yaris Rally1 for his Croatia pre-event test, he might not be a completely different driver – but his perspective has shifted ever so slightly with that Safari win in the bag.

Katsuta won the Super Sunday element of Croatia Rally in 2024

“Before I was never thinking about whether I had crazy pressure or not but now, after Kenya, I feel a bit of a lighter feeling,” said Katsuta.

“Probably I had a kind of pressure but it was quite normal for me, so I didn’t feel that it was making things any worse. But it just feels much more relaxed, easier to focus for next one and to think about the big picture, the whole weekend and the whole season.

“I need to be focused for the next rally; that’s my target. Clearly it was a great weekend, also seeing how much I had a pressure kind of feeling before. But now I feel very good and I hope that we can achieve another good result in the future.”

Katsuta has contested every WRC edition of Croatia Rally, scoring a best result of fifth in 2024 and a trio of sixth places.

Words:Alasdair Lindsay

Tags: Croatia Rally 2026, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, Takamoto Katsuta, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 6, 2026 DirtFish

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Katsuta's maiden WRC win at Safari Rally has lifted mental pressure, making him feel more relaxed for future events.

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First wins create crucial psychological shifts that often unlock consistent competitive performance in motorsport.

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Katsuta joins an elite group of just six current drivers who have won at WRC's highest level.

When Ott Tänak dropped his bombshell on that Sunday night in Japan, his thinking was clear: he needed a break.

He talked of a rollercoaster, a wild one, which had been full of breathtaking highs and humbling lows. It was a ride that had tested every part of him. That is the 2019 World Rally Champion: he gives everything, he demands everything. To him, nothing is impossible and impossible is nothing.

As we know, Tänak is watching from afar this year. And he’s watching some drivers more than others – seeing his pal Takamoto Katsuta succeed on Safari was an undoubted highlight of his 2026 to date.

The Estonian is, however, quick to point out that he hasn’t been universally impressed with what he’s seen on the stages.

Tänak himself was never less than 100% focused and determined

“There are some drivers,” he said, “with their interviews who are just saying how much they enjoy driving Rally1 cars. It seems like it’s too many drivers there just enjoying, I mean not too many who are actually fighting for it. This is a bit sad to see.

“I think for that, there is only a very short future. It doesn’t take you far. So they should really work to show some results and really show the improvements – only like this you can actually stay in the WRC. I really hope that they will put some good action in to really improve.”

Driving rally cars was – and is – a huge part of Tänak’s life. But he was never happy unless he’d exhausted every possibility and wrung everything from the car beneath him. His decision to step back from the series for this season is, perhaps, the best indication yet of his desire to only be in it to win it.

Regardless of whether he’s in or out of the car, his frank, forthright and unswerving view of the world and those in it will continue to make headlines.

Words:David Evans

Tags: Ott Tanak, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 2, 2026 DirtFish

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Jon Armstrong has come out of the gate strongly in his maiden World Rally Championship campaign despite his lack of top-flight experience – yet he’s not always feeling content at stage ends.

In Monte Carlo, he surprised everyone by running as high as third overall on the first day and holding sixth until a penultimate-stage crash ended his rally. And after a solid outing in Sweden, he impressed again in Safari with a second-fastest time on Sleeping Warrior and putting in a string of running repairs to keep his Ford Puma Rally1 going – even when he suffered a broken driveshaft and compression strut.

It would have been reasonable to think Armstrong would be rooted to the bottom of the Rally1 timesheets at the start of the year, given the first three rounds of the season were the first top-level starts of his career. But he hasn’t been. Instead, there’s been plenty of times this season where he’s been going toe-to-toe with the factory Hyundais on the timesheets.

That he’s no longer satisfied to sit at the back and collect mileage is telling.

Safari running repairs showed tenacity even though Armstrong was only rewarded with 15th overall

“I’m quite p***** off whenever I’m not beating those guys,” Armstrong told DirtFish, “so that’s always a good sign.

“I really want to know how to get closer and closer. It’s a very competitive field and everyone is the best in the world. It’s good we’re close as we are sometimes, and then sometimes we’re a little bit further back, which is to be expected given the caliber of drivers that we’re against.

“We’ll keep pushing to get closer and closer; that’s all I really want to achieve.”

Asphalt was not kind to M-Sport last season; Josh McErlean crashed out of both Rally Islas Canarias and Rally Japan, while neither he nor Grégoire Munster dipped under the one second per kilometer average deficit mark to winners of WRC asphalt events last year.

Despite that 2025 deficit by other Puma pilots, Armstrong remains optimistic heading to Croatia; he is, after all, the defending winner, having clinched victory during Croatia’s temporary step back to European Rally Championship status last year. Getting to the end of Safari Rally Kenya without retiring has also left him energized to push on.

Irishman won wet ERC edition of Croatia Rally last year

“You need to be very determined in this game,” said Armstrong. “OK, we’re not quite at the front at the minute, but we have flashes of what it could be with a couple of good stage times. So if we can start to be more consistent going forward and start to piece it all together, then it’s encouraging.

“At the minute, it is tough. But there’s always going to be tough days and you just have to sort of ride through them and hopefully then there’ll be good ones out the back.

“I’m looking forward to the other gravel rallies for the season but also now going to Croatia and Tarmac will be really nice.”

Armstrong’s knowledge of the Hankook asphalt tires in competition is practically nonexistent. He used a full set of the Hankook asphalt supersofts only twice at the season opener: during shakedown and the 1.7-mile Monaco Circuit superspecial.

Words:Alasdair Lindsay

Tags: Croatia Rally 2026, Jon Armstrong, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 3, 2026 DirtFish

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Monte Carlo Rally winner Oliver Solberg reckons Croatia Rally can be “a little bit like a ‘clean’ Monte Carlo” as he prepares to take on his first pure asphalt rally in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 next week.

Solberg entered 2026 with a one-from-one record in the GR Yaris Rally1, having won on debut in Estonia last year. Few expected him to make it two from two in the French Alps, given his limited running in the car on Tarmac, let alone the challenging conditions thrown up on the season opener.

But win it the WRC2 champion did, marking himself out as a genuine title contender on his return to the top flight. He’s yet to get back on the podium since, but arrives in Croatia second in the standings, eight points shy of team-mate Elfyn Evans.

“Before you start your first season, you’re always a bit unsure of how you’re going to do,” said Solberg. “And obviously Tarmac, I hadn’t tried the car before the season, so I was a bit unsure.

“But when you have that feeling in Monte Carlo, and completely different conditions of course, but already some good feeling on the Tarmac, definitely gave you confidence to know that you can fight on every surface; you can win on every surface and have the speed.”

It’s not a straightforward, flat-out Tarmac rally. Oliver Solberg

Croatia Rally is unlikely to feature the snow and ice that are hallmarks of the Monte – although Toyota did experience some of the white stuff on its pre-event test.

In its short WRC history, the event on the edge of the Balkans has quickly earned a reputation for its challenging surface with constantly changing levels of grip. Dirt dragged onto the road from cuts and a high chance of wet weather in April only exacerbate the variation.

A change in location, with the rally moving from its previous Zagreb base to the port of Rijeka this year, adds more unknowns into the equation.

“It’s a really tricky rally,” said Solberg. “It can be quite slippery, quite dirty. Again, a lot of cuts. It’s a little bit like a ‘clean’ Monte Carlo, in a way, depending on the conditions.

“We are in a brand new part of the country now, with some very, very new stages, so I think it can be quite different from other years. But still, it can be a big challenge. It’s not a straightforward, flat-out Tarmac rally.”

A bit like the Monte. Which Solberg led all the way from SS2.

Solberg last contested Croatia Rally in 2023 when he finished 10th overall in Rally2 Škoda

The 24-year-old has won more stages (14) than anyone else this year, and spent more time in the lead of rallies (29 stages) than everyone else put together (24). The raw statistics suggest Solberg is unfortunate not to be leading the championship. On the flip side, he could have ended up a lot worse off than he is.

Hampered by opening the road in Sweden, Solberg kept his points tally ticking over by finishing fourth overall and adding five bonus markers on Super Sunday. He then led the majority of Safari Rally Kenya before being forced to retire on Saturday afternoon with alternator failure. A full house of 10 Sunday points – plus 10th overall – minimized the damage and leaves him bullish heading into back-to-back asphalt events.

He said: “We fought back strong in Kenya. We had a great performance between the consistency of driving clean, as well as pushing really hard on the Super Sunday to get maximum points.

“For sure, I feel we probably deserved that win, which could have put us in a great position for the championship. But at least that gives you confidence that you’re back in the fight.

“We are still in a great position in the championship; feeling is good in the car, in the team. So for sure, it’s much easier to come back from it when you had such a strong Super Sunday too.

“I think it makes it much easier to fight back here in Croatia.”

Words:Mark Paulson

Tags: Croatia Rally, Croatia Rally 2026, Oliver Solberg, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 2, 2026 DirtFish

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Josh McErlean’s 2026 World Rally Championship scorecard doesn’t make for good reading so far.

At the season opener he went off the road at the same slippery corner of stage two that ripped a wheel off Sami Pajari’s Toyota and retired; then he slid off into a ditch and retired on Friday’s final stage and, finally, crashed into the barriers near the finish of the penultimate stage and retired on the road section.

In Sweden he finished ninth, afflicted by a double deflation triggered by tire pressures set too low by the team. He and co-driver Eoin Treacy then forgot to take off radiator blanks for the first pass of Umeå Sprint and had to drive in road mode to the end of Friday’s competitive mileage.

Kenya was brutal. His Ford Puma Rally1’s water temperatures skyrocketed on SS2 after ingesting copious amounts of mud when the heavens opened on the later runners. Even after all the detritus had been cleared from the engine bay and cooling system, mechanical gremlins remained. A puncture on stage seven had far greater consequences: with the rideheight affected, he smashed the underside of the car, punching through the sump guard and breaking the gearbox.

Somewhere in all that Safari mud is a Ford Puma Rally1

“He hit a lot of Kenya in one go,” was team principal Rich Millener’s summary to DirtFish at the time.

“It went sump guard, gearbox, gearbox mount. It’s a lot of damage from the impact, it’s a big one.”

Two non-finishes and a ninth place aren’t much to write home about. But Millener is feeling sympathetic for how McErlean’s start to 2026 has gone. His Monte may have been marred by a string of errors on the slippery ice of the French Alps but a team error in Sweden and mechanical problems in Kenya means M-Sport is focusing on the positives of McErlean’s season so far.

“It’s a shame for him because it just seems he can’t catch a break at the minute,” said Millener. “But I think the positives are the speed he did show when he didn’t have the issue.”

With team-mate Jon Armstrong outperforming him on the first two rallies of the season and the 2019 British Junior champion unable to make a proper go of the Safari, there’s naturally pressure on his shoulders. But Millener feels McErlean hasn’t been trying too hard; if anything, patience will be rewarded.

Glum faces for now, but McErlean has the backing of his boss and M-Sport team

“I don’t think he’s overdriving,” said Millener. “Certainly a little pressure will be there but it’s not through Jon, it’s not through us, it’s not through anyone [else]. He’s a driver, he wants to be where he knows he can be and it’s frustrating when you [have] a few mistakes from his side, a few issues on the car side.

“It’s hard when it’s going like that and it seems to never end but it will end at some point. We know that but it’s making sure your head’s strong enough to get out of that position; I’m sure he will be.

“They [McErlean and Treacy] know that we want them to do as well as Jon is doing, so we’ll get them back there.”

Next week’s Croatia Rally will be McErlean’s first time competing on the Adriatic coast. He has taken on Rally Islas Canarias twice before, crashing out of last year’s edition on the final day while running 10th and finishing 21st when contesting the 2020 edition in a Hyundai i20 R5.

Words:Alasdair Lindsay

Tags: Josh McErlean, Richard Millener, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date April 5, 2026 DirtFish

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The World Rally Championship has seldom been on the cusp of such a big change.

A new commercial rights owner, coupled to radically different technical regulations, makes 2027 one of the least predictable seasons ever – but equally a season packed with opportunity.

For the WRC in general, and for its competitors.

Young stars hoping for their chance on the biggest stage, teams craving a competitive reset to improve their fortunes, or experienced hands keen to return and demonstrate their ability; everybody wants a piece of it.

But not Esapekka Lappi.

The Finn flew home from Concepción in September 2024 content that his world rallying story had been written. He turned his attention to Rally2, the Finnish forests and a national title.

The call to return with Hyundai for a part-time program in 2026 was a pure bonus. He didn’t immediately say yes. He thought about it, and eventually accepted.

“It was a really good break,” Lappi reflected to DirtFish, “just to do some national events, you know, to have fun without any pressure with your old friends.

“And then also with Enni [Mälkönen, co-driver] – I mean something new, you know, which I didn’t know before. And every trip you go with her, you get to know her better. So, yeah, we are enjoying now.”

But don’t mistake that for Lappi wanting to do more of it.

Persevering on challenging Safari brought Lappi best result of his two WRC starts so far in 2026: fourth overall

He had been a full-time driver for Hyundai in 2023, but scaled that back to a partial program in 2024 so that he could spend more time with his family.

That only intensified last year, with far fewer days away and the events he did travel to being far closer to home.

Despite Lappi offering plenty to his current employer Hyundai, or a new constructor looking to enter the championship, he has no interest in a full-time program for 2027.

“No, because I cannot,” he declared. “It’s too much [time] away from the kids. I don’t want to commit that.”

Lappi is in the WRC purely on his own terms and is benefiting from the perfect blend of competition and family time. Not even a radical change like 2027 can lure him away from that balance.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Esapekka Lappi, WRC, WRC 2027

Publish Date April 4, 2026 DirtFish

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It’s not for points, it’s not for a championship, it’s purely for the thrill. But Rallylegend has become a legendary event in its own right: think flares being set off on hillsides as Paolo Diana sends a fluorescent yellow Fiat 131 sideways through every single hairpin turn he comes across, the crowds dozens-deep and reveling in the madness.

With popularity comes problems. Last year there were 110,000 fans packed inside the borders of San Marino, a micronation with a population a third of that size. That presents significant management headaches. But Rallylegend is working to make its increasing popularity sustainable.

Next year’s itinerary is being reshuffled to try and stop large crowds congregating in specific, small stretches of road – an attempt to keep overall spectator numbers high but avoid flashpoints of overfilling spectator areas that put the event’s running at risk.

Such has the event’s popularity swelled that the traditional safety caravan – the triple zero, double zero, and zero cars – isn’t even enough to check that crowds are standing where they should be.

Who wouldn't be drawn to a Delta S4 traveling through narrow streets under lights?

World Rally Championship-level popularity means WRC-level solutions are needed. Before any of the zero cars even set off, a spectator control system will be up and running to identify any crowd trouble faster than previous years and allow for faster fixes.

Diana only sends his Fiat through corners sideways, after all. Making sure the spectators are stood sufficiently far behind the tape is essential to safeguarding the rally’s future.

Memorial Bettega returns after hiatus

Remember Petter Solberg stood atop his Subaru Impreza at crawling speed, then proceeding to fall off it? Of course you do. It’s the sort of antics which enshrined Mr Hollywood’s nickname as justified.

Or there was the time his son Oliver, then just 16 years old, rolled a Ford Fiesta WRC – and still went on to finish second in the competition anyway, behind one Kalle Rovanperä. It may have been an exhibition event – but boy did rallying’s best embrace the spectacle, the celebration and the competition.

Solberg antics - father and son - typify the celebratory spectacle of Memorial Bettega

When the Bologna Motor Show came to a shuddering halt in 2017, so too did the Memorial Bettega. Until now. It’s back and it’s heading southeast to San Marino, weaved into Rallylegend’s final day itinerary.

A mix of Group B icons and World Rally Car machinery will face off on an adapted version of the ‘Legend’ superspecial, held in the Ciarulla industrial area of Serravalle that will allow for a superspecial-style head-to-head contest between two cars simultaneously.

“Forty years after my father’s passing,” said Alessandro Bettega, son of the late Attilio Bettega, “it is always heartening to know he is remembered.

“The Memorial Bettega in Bologna has always been one of the most cherished memories, and knowing it will come back to life at Rallylegend makes us very happy. It is an event truly dedicated to the fans, and there could be no better moment to honor his memory.”

Tags: Memorial Bettega, Rallylegend

Publish Date April 1, 2026 DirtFish

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Ott Tänak’s said it himself: the future is bright for Estonian rallying.

Robert Virves and Romet Jürgenson are both Junior world champions, competing in WRC2 with a manufacturer link (Virves in a Toksport Škoda and Jürgenson an M-Sport Ford). Virves jointly leads the WRC2 standings, too.

Then there’s 19-year-old Jaspar Vaher, who became the first non-Japanese driver to join Toyota’s WRC Challenge Program.

It’s hard to fight the notion that the nation is in for some big WRC success in the not-too-distant future.

“Robert was doing really well in Safari and Jaspar is doing really well in Finland [national championship], and Romet is also working really hard with M-Sport,” a former Rally Estonia winner told DirtFish.

“I think they’re all in quite good positions right now, and they’re all supported by factories. So that’s a very good thing and I think it makes me quite optimistic about the future of rallying in Estonia.”

Tänak (front, right) has handed baton to likes of Jürgenson (front, left) and Virves (rear, second left), while Linnamäe (rear, second right) steps back

So why isn’t the Rally Estonia winner in question, Georg Linnamäe, part of it?

His CV might not be as decorated as Virves’ or Jürgenson’s, and at 27 he’s got almost a decade on Vaher. But none of those countrymen have won their home event outright like Linnamäe did in 2024, beating Virves into second. Linnamäe would legitimately make Estonia’s talented trio an upcoming quartet.

But in his words, he made a “quiet departure” from the World Rally Championship after losing a wheel while fighting for the WRC2 podium in Finland last year. He never appeared for the rest of the season, and is yet to turn a wheel in competition since.

“There really wasn’t much news on it, if you think about it, because I didn’t really announce it to anyone anyway,” Linnamäe tells DirtFish.

“Basically I just had it in the back of my mind for a long time that I didn’t have much left to do in uni anymore, and I really wanted to finish it,” he admits. “It had just been bugging me for a bit.”

Even if you manage to make it to the WRC, there's going to be a life beyond the sport once you retire Georg Linnamäe

Real life hits, even for rally drivers.

Studying media and communication in Rotterdam as early as 2019, Linnamäe chose to prioritize rallying opportunities after the COVID pandemic which delayed the completion of his degree.

But in what could be described as hedging his bets, he’s now decided to reverse that equation.

“Even if you manage to make it to the WRC, there’s going to be a life beyond the sport once you retire,” Linnamäe says. “I’ve always valued education. I felt like this is something that’s necessary for me to do. And, yeah, that’s the reason why I decided to continue this.”

The timing was right, after a difficult spell behind the wheel of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in 2025.

“Results-wise last year, aside from Estonia, we didn’t really do that well anywhere,” Linnamäe admits. “We showed some good speed in places but, due to my own mistakes, bad luck and sometimes technical issues, I just didn’t really manage to put on a consistent performance.

Retirement on Acropolis last year was typical of frustrating campaign

“I’m a very, very competitive person, so mentally it is quite difficult if things just don’t go your way time and time again. So, yeah, I just thought that some time off from rallying after so many seasons would maybe do some good for me.

“So I just took that basically as an opportunity to, let’s say, get out of it for a while, take a breather, focus on other stuff and try to get this uni thing off my mind.”

If all goes to plan, Linnamäe will graduate this year but will still do so with motorsport tie-ins: one of his final projects is based on the WRC’s More Than Machine, and he’ll do an internship with Estonian ASN Estonian Autosport Events, including working at July’s WRC round in some capacity.

After that, who knows? Which is exactly the point for Linnamäe.

He says he’s “missed” rallying and has been following it all, and he’ll be keen to explore opportunities for 2027 when Rally2 cars will be able to fight at the very front of the world championship.

Victory on home rally in 2024 was a career high point

“We’ll discuss, have a look around and see what’s possible,” he confirms.

But equally, he’s come to realize that happiness isn’t only found chasing a career behind the wheel.

“I just want to be happy with my work, whatever it is,” he surmises. “If it’s rallying, it’s rallying. I’d love to do it more. And if I get the right opportunities, for sure, I do want to continue.

“But if I don’t, I’m optimistic about the future. And I’m sure that there will be some interesting opportunities for me outside of rallying as well.

“For a very long time, I had it in my head that I have to be a driver and nothing else. But I think through a lot of work with myself, basically, I realized that there’s more to life than that.

“I’d be very happy if my driving career continues. But I’ve slowly started to realize that my life won’t end if I’m not rallying.”

Talented Estonian has turned his back on WRC - for now

It might appear a difficult situation to be in; a career crossroads with one path potentially blocking the other. But in reality, Linnamäe can’t lose.

He either continues to forge a rally career to try to prove himself at the very top, or he explores other opportunities in media and communications. Both would bring him satisfaction in their own ways.

Linnamäe suggests we call again in the summer to see which direction he’s ultimately heading down. But if this is to be the end of his time in the WRC he holds no major regrets.

“In general, I think I can be proud,” he says. “I was still… at least speed-wise, I was often at the sharp end of the WRC2 category. And even though more often than not they maybe didn’t translate into the results I was hoping for, I still have a Rally Estonia winner helmet at home [and] I have a few trophies that I’m very proud of in WRC2.

“I think one thing that I’ll probably miss is that I never had the opportunity to win in WRC2. But, you know, if that’s how it is, then that’s how it is. That’s life. And, yeah, like I said, I don’t think my life will end because of it.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Georg Linnamae, WRC, WRC2

Publish Date April 1, 2026 DirtFish

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Former World Rally Champion Robert Reid has talked of the opportunity Rally Scotland presents both to British rallying and the country as a whole next year.

The Aberdeen-based event was confirmed with a three-year agreement for a WRC calendar slot from 2027 last month. Reid, who won the 2001 world title alongside Richard Burns, lives and works in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

“I think the first point has to be congratulations to all involved here,” Reid told DirtFish. “It’s been a long time since we left Wales in 2019 – but the consistent effort and hard work from David Richards and everybody at Motorsport UK has paid dividends.

“And now, right now, I’m just looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to seeing the best drivers and co-drivers in the world here in the British forests again. It’s at the right time of the year and it presents a real opportunity for the sport here in Britain and, of course, for Scotland.

“What’s been really interesting for me is the amount of people and businesses that have contacted me since the announcement. The response has been the same: “Wow, this is incredible. How do we, how do we get involved? How do we go and see it? Where’s it going to be? Will there be hospitality?”

“These are people that are, maybe, Formula 1 fans or go to a couple of races that are now looking to rallying and Rally Scotland.”

Thierry Neuville was among those to sample Scottish conditions when IRC visited in 2011

As well as being a world champion, Reid is a former deputy president of the FIA and has significant business experience, including an elite-level training company.

He added: “I want to use my international influence and relationships in motorsport to help make sure Rally Scotland is seen as more than an event. It is a real opportunity to showcase what Scotland can offer on the world stage, and I would like to see the sport and the wider industry lean into that.

“Beyond the amazing Aberdeenshire stages, there’s so much more with, for example, world-class golf courses, distilleries and, of course, there’s Scotland – which absolutely comes to life with the countryside and the color in the autumn. It’s a fantastic place to be.”

Beyond the commercial aspect, Reid is keen to see a UK-based WRC round become what it was when he was growing through the sport.

“It was the aspirational event,” he said. “You know, you would do your national events, the Scottish championship, but then at the end of the year there was this chance to do our round of the world championship. That was such a big thing and it needs to be again, we need to get that enthusiasm and aspiration back for building towards this end-of-year opportunity for home-based drivers to showcase their talent on the world stage.”

Tags: Robert Reid, SPIN The Rally Pod, WRC, WRC 2027, WRC Rally Scotland

Publish Date April 1, 2026 DirtFish

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Rally

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How Rallylegend is dealing with its increasing popularity

It was most noticeable in Monte Carlo. And Sweden. Where was Estonia? Where was Ott Tänak?

The 2019 World Rally champion’s decision to step back from the sport at the end of last year came as a significant shock. In fact, it left his homeland reeling. Markko Märtin and Tänak had maintained Estonia’s position at the very top of rallying’s hierarchy for more than two decades.

And then, the emptiness and the absence of the blue, black and white flags.

Until Safari. And Robert Virves finally deciding, yes, he would go to Kenya. And, yes, he would register for WRC2 points. And yes, he would place his Toksport-run Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 in the top five overall and top of the WRC2 podium.

Listening in to Virves throughout the event, it was impossible not to identify him as a possible successor to the Estonian throne. He sounded the same as the two homeland legends who had passed through Nairobi before him. And the approach was the same: guarded, conservative and very, very fast.

Yes, the world wants to see Tänak back in a rally car as soon as possible (and Märtin if he’s up for it…), but it’s fair to say that Estonia’s future in rallying looks as bright as any right now.

Beyond Virves, there is M-Sport’s Romet Jürgenson and Toyota’s Jaspar Vaher. Their ages are 25, 26 and 18 respectively. That’s what you call future-proofing.

“It’s nice for Estonia,” Tänak told DirtFish.

Has he been part of the trio’s journey?

“From the background, I guess, yeah,” he said. “Romet [Jürgenson] and Robert [Virves], for sure, they’ve been texting and calling quite often. But, previously we were doing the same rallies, so of course, I always try to help as much as possible.

“Now I think all of them, they have actually a very good package. Like Jaspar [Vaher], the Toyota program, I think it’s super-efficient with everything you need. And same with Romet, with Malcolm [Wilson]. It seems like they’ve been upgrading the Fiesta and it’s very competitive at some stages.

“He just needs to put together a better rally – it seems like some stages he’s able to do well. Robert has now quite a few years of experience in WRC2 and a full Škoda program. I guess he also has everything. It seems like three drivers with some very good programs. I guess it’s just up to them now to take the best out of it.”

Jürgenson has contested all three WRC events so far in 2026, and also competes in Croatia

Tänak has seen the sport from all directions. At the top of the 2017 regulation switch, he was on top of the world: an all-conquering, dominant force who should have won more than one world title. Rewind four years and he was at home and out of a drive.

The memory of a 2013 season on the sidelines brings sharp focus to the task which sits ahead of his countrymen.

“Today it’s nice,” he said, “but you never know what tomorrow brings and it’s still a very expensive sport. And obviously, you know, it’s like the nature that only the strongest will survive.

“You can’t have too many bad rallies. You need to focus to do your best and it’s the same for them.”

Words:David Evans

Tags: Estonia, Jaspar Vaher, Ott Tanak, Robert Virves, Romet Jürgenson, WRC

Publish Date March 31, 2026 DirtFish

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Brandon Semenuk is the undoubted modern-day master of the Washington woods. The former Subaru star has won the Olympus Rally for the last four years – and the opportunity to race Jari-Matti Latvala for a fifth victory has sent the Canadian chasing a last-minute entry next month.

The Toyota star was confirmed in a second GR Corolla Rally RC2 alongside team-mate Seth Quintero on Tuesday.

Semenuk told DirtFish he would relish the opportunity to drive the same stages as the 18-time world rally winner.

“To have a driver of Jari-Matti’s caliber on this side of the Atlantic isn’t something that happens every day,” said Semenuk. “Competing against him would be a fantastic opportunity to understand where my pace is without making a big trip overseas. More recently we’ve seen him racing at WRC2 level when he did [Rally] Finland for the last couple of years. He was second only to Oliver Solberg [in 2024] and lost by a second to [Roope] Korhonen last time. The guy’s a legend and clearly still a very, very capable driver.

“I’d love to race him.”

Talking of his last-minute plans, Semenuk added: “Although it’s a long shot, I’m making calls to see what’s possible. There was some speculation about a second Toyota and now it’s confirmed [for Latvala], in the off chance I can to pull something together, I’d love to be there.”

Asked to predict a result, the four-time ARA National Champion smiled: “This is Jari-Matti Latvala we’re talking about, one of the greatest Finns in the history of the sport – the guy with the most experience of the World Rally Championship ever. Do you really think I’d tell you that I’m going to beat him? I’d just enjoy the chance to have a go…”

Semenuk understands the demands of competing in Latvala’s homeland, having starred at last year’s S.M. OK Auto-Ralli in Kouvola. On his debut in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 and on his first outing in Finland, he ran Esapekka Lappi a close second – beating the former Rally Finland winner on two stages.

Words:David Evans

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Brandon Semenuk, Jari-Matti Latvala, Olympus Rally 2026

Publish Date March 31, 2026 DirtFish

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Latvala to drive Corolla on Olympus Rally

Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal Jari-Matti Latvala will make his American rallying debut at next month’s Olympus Rally, presented by DirtFish.

The Finn will contest the April 17-19 event in a sister GR Corolla Rally RC2 to that of Toyota’s already confirmed ARA National Championship driver Seth Quintero.

Latvala said: “This will be my first time ever competing on American soil – I’m really excited to see the stages and the atmosphere at the Olympus Rally.”

While Latvala hasn’t competed in America, he has, of course, competed in the Americas with 26 World Rally Championship starts between Mexico, Argentina and Chile. The 18-time world rally winner was an integral part of the test and development of the GR Corolla Rally RC2 through last season.

Quintero gave the Corolla its debut at Missouri’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood earlier this month, but missed out on a finish after the car’s air intake was broken after hitting a seventh-stage watersplash.

Latvala gets back behind the wheel of the GR Corolla he helped develop last year

While Latvala brings pace and experience to the Shelton-based Olympus Rally, the team is quick to point out that this is only the Corolla’s second ever outing and running a second car is another part of the development process.

Toyota’s technical director Tom Fowler explained the thinking after 100 Acre Wood, saying: “It’s important to note this isn’t a car where we’re going into America in a ‘yee-haa’ fashion looking to show everyone what we can do. This is about developing a car for customers in a cost-effective fashion.

“It’s maybe a hard learning point to go out of the first rally in this way, but right now this is about the process of further developing the car more than it is about the result.”

The 2026 Olympus Rally, presented by DirtFish is set to break records as America’s most popular event. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1986 event – a rally which brought the Group B category to a close – with an expanded 200-mile competitive route, ensured entries were sold out in days.

Words:David Evans

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Jari-Matti Latvala, Olympus Rally 2026, Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2

Publish Date March 31, 2026 DirtFish

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Tänak’s advice for Estonia’s bright young generation

Jari-Matti Latvala is coming to America. Sorry, I know it’s an obvious opener. But he genuinely couldn’t be more excited.

After testing in Washington, Ohio and Kentucky last year, he’s finally heading Stateside with numbers on the door of a Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2. He’s more than ready for the Olympus Rally, presented by DirtFish.

“It’s going to be really interesting to see for my first time competing in America,” Latvala told DirtFish. “I did five tests last year, but to do the rally – this is new. I want to see how is everything? How is the fans the roads, everything?”

Looking more specifically at the Shelton-based Olympus Rally, has Latvala been able to reach out to anybody for advice on what to expect? Just a bit. Try Markku Alén and Juha Kankkunen – heroes of the iconic and fabled 1986 event, to which next month’s rally will pay homage

“Markku told me: “Jari-Matti, if it’s dry over there, remember there’s very heavy dust – one-minute interval is not enough. You need two, three minutes when it gets dry and dusty…” That was actually a good point from him. Juha Kankkunen told me about nice stages, they have nice memories from the event.

Latvala will make US debut in second GR Corolla, with regular driver Quintero also in action

“When I was testing in Washington last year, I enjoyed the landscape. And what I saw from the road, it was actually reminding me a lot of the forests in Wales. It’s very interesting that, in that part of the world, you can feel the similar feeling as driving in the Dyfi forest.”

He wouldn’t be the first to make that comparison about the roads. Or the weather.

But what about the car? After five separate test sessions aboard the Corolla, Latvala has a better insight than most about what to expect from Toyota’s all-new American machine. And the obvious place to start it with a comparison to the GR Yaris Rally2, the car with which the Corolla shares so many common components.

“The biggest difference is that the Corolla is longer wheelbase,” said Latvala. “And it’s heavier than the GR Yaris. Of course, even though the engine is the same, the transmission is the same… but the base setup, we couldn’t use exactly the same. Because it’s a bit heavier, we took different roll bars and springs. The rideheight and tilt of the rear is also different.

“But when we finished the development, I was really happy with the car. With the longer wheelbase, it’s a very calm car to drive on the fast road – so you feel even more comfortable than with the GR Yaris [Rally2]. But then when you go to the very technical part, GR [Yaris Rally2] is more nimble, which is of course logical when it’s a shorter wheelbase.”

That’s the terrain and the car covered; what about the competition and the team-mate?

“I’m interested to see where is the competition,” he said, adding that he would be interested to compete with current American title holder Brandon Semenuk.

“He came last year to Finland to see how it is in the Finnish Championship,” said Latvala of the four-time ARA champion, “so I know he’s a very quick guy. And of course, it would be nice to try against him if he has a chance to come to the event – it’s always good to have a high level. It’s good for everybody when there is more competitors.

“And for Seth [Quintero, Toyota team-mate], of course I support and try to help him. We will do a test before the event, so I’ll try to make sure the setup is good for him also to start the rally and also give him some tips.

“OK, I don’t know the roads, but he also doesn’t have the experience of the roads, but at least, you know, some areas to look at – because I understood that there might be some areas where you have to be careful with the tires because there’s risk with the sharp rocks.

“Seth’s car control is great and he’s very motivated and he wants to learn to drive the rally cars and he wants to do a good job. What I see in the first race in America [at 100 Acre Wood], he did well because you have to consider that was only his second rally ever.

“Many times I have flown across the Atlantic to compete in the Americas, but now we come to the US – this is the territory for me and a new environment. I’m excited to see it.”

Words:David Evans

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Jari-Matti Latvala, Olympus Rally 2026, SPIN The Rally Pod, Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2

Publish Date March 31, 2026 DirtFish

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Sébastien Ogier knew what he’d just achieved was remarkable. Not in an arrogant way, but a realistic one.

Less than an hour after claiming an unprecedented ninth World Rally Championship title on a part-time season, he told the world he was unlikely to do the same again.

Not because he couldn’t, but because the law of averages don’t suggest it.

“This year is probably one of my best seasons ever in terms of performance and in terms of consistency,” Ogier said in Saudi Arabia, late November. “So it worked all together, the stars got aligned, and now I have the chance to get these nine titles.

“But yeah, to press repeat on a season like this would be far from easy.”

How good Ogier's 2025 now looks in hindsight - read on Club DirtFish

Already this has proven to be the case. Extreme weather conditions complicated matters, but third in Monte Carlo was (remarkably) Ogier’s weakest result there in a top-class car in the WRC.

Then in Kenya, the reigning champion was running second to team-mate Oliver Solberg before they both retired with alternator problems on the penultimate day.

It means with eight rounds left on his own schedule, of the 11 remaining in total, Ogier is just sixth in the standings with a 40-point defiit to points leader Elfyn Evans – and that’ll only grow as he misses next week’s Croatia Rally.

However, it transpires there’s more than just math behind Ogier’s slight dip in form.

Talking to DirtFish before he retired from Safari Rally Kenya, the Toyota driver confessed the eight weeks between the 2025 season ending and the 2026 campaign beginning – plus all the commitments in between as the new world champion – took their toll.

“I arrived here definitely in a bit better state of mind than I arrived in Monte Carlo, not even than I left,” Ogier said.

Ogier still got a podium in Monte Carlo, but was feeling the hangover from a hectic 2025

“Monte Carlo arrived too early for me this year. I was not recharged mentally from last year. I was not having the motivation you need to have and, yeah, maybe it’s the price of all those years – it’s never easy.

“I think you can ask any sportsman, athlete, champion who are in the sport for many years. At some points the motivation is the biggest thing to fight against because, even [though] it was Monte… I don’t know, I wasn’t really fully there.

“And of course seeing a full amount of snow at the beginning of the week didn’t really encourage or increase my motivation, let’s say.”

Ogier felt re-energized in Kenya, however, and is looking forward to the rest of the season where he expects to have some big fights with team-mate Solberg.

“It’s nice to have this young guy pushing,” said Ogier, who’s 18 years older than the Swede. “And obviously all the question marks, if he will be ready to fight this year, are pretty much ticked now.

“Everybody has seen that he has the potential and I’m looking forward for the fights we’re going to have this year. There will be some rallies coming which I’m sure will be very enjoyable.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Sébastien Ogier, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 30, 2026 DirtFish

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After the World Rally Championship’s characteristically varied start to the 2026 season, taking in a trio of highly specialized events, we now embark on a short asphalt leg in April.

More straightforward? Maybe. But as the teams prepare for Croatia’s tricky roads next week, they also have one eye on the very different challenge of Rally Islas Canarias that follows immediately afterwards. The complication? The linked parts rule, where gearboxes and differentials must be carried over from Croatia to Spain.

Teams are forced to compromise on settings to suit events that are effectively on opposite ends of the asphalt spectrum. Croatia’s wide spectrum of weather conditions, variable grip and surface changes is an entirely different proposition to. Rally Islas Canarias two weeks later on April 23-26, featuring race track style roads at its heart.

All three Rally1 teams face the same issues caused by using linked parts at both events. But championship leader Elfyn Evans has already highlighted that planning for Spain while testing in Croatia creates extra complexity.

Race track nature of Spanish island roads are very different from abrasive, low-grip asphalt of Croatia

“The challenge now that we have is quite different Tarmac rallies coming back to back and trying to prepare for those rallies is quite a challenge,” admitted Evans.

“Today we’re here in Croatia. It’s quite wet and muddy conditions, so it could be representative for what’s to come in Croatia.

“But we also have to pick certain parts that link us on into Canaries, which of course is quite a different rally, and to do that is quite a challenge today.

“So we are having to think ahead, but in a way we’re guessing what we might need in a few weeks’ time in Canaries.”

But testing in Spain is no guarantee for getting differential settings right for Gran Canaria either. Hyundai entered Theirry Neuville into Rally Sierra Morena last year but all three i20 N Rally1s ended up far off the pace during Rally Islas Canarias’ maiden WRC appearance.

Sealing transmission parts with the wrong setup can be costly in the Canary Islands, as Hyundai discovered last year

Hyundai later conceded that test event hadn’t been sufficiently representative and, with transmission parts sealed, couldn’t make the required setup changes to unlock more performance for the rest of the event. Adrien Fourmaux was less affected by Hyundai’s pace woes in Spain last year, having taken a sealed transmission with softer settings than Neuville and Ott Tänak.

Evans won in Croatia three years ago, and has twice been runner-up to team-mate Sébastien Ogier on the Adriatic coastal roads. With Ogier sitting out this year’s edition, Evans will be confident of his chances going into the event.

“It’s nice to be back in Croatia, but a lot of the rally will be new for this year,” cautioned the Welshman. “It’s moved its base from Zagreb to further down the coast.

“[There is] quite a lot of new stages this year that we’re going to have to write new notes. Of course, we know the challenge that comes with that. And, yes, it will be less known than it has been in the past.”

Words:Mark Paulson

Tags: Croatia Rally 2026, Elfyn Evans, Rally Islas Canarias 2026, Toyota, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 30, 2026 DirtFish

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Four names, one family.

The four names? The Castrol National Rally, the Elonex Rally, the Bulldog and Rally North Wales. And: Jimmy, Colin, Alister and Max. McRae.

Max McRae’s victory (with Cameron Fair co-driving) on Saturday’s Get Jerky Rally North Wales rewrote history. Not only did it complete a hat-trick of wins for the 21-year-old Scot – following his McRae Rally Challenge and Cambrian successes in the fall – it made the Welsh event the first to be won by four members of the McRae family.

As you might imagine, Jimmy was the first to succeed on what was then the final round of the 1980 British National series: the Aberystwyth-based Castrol National Rally. Driving a Vauxhall Chevette HSR, Jim was forced to give best to a hard-charging Tony Pond on the first half of the rally. Emerging from Pantperthog, the TR7 V8 was 11 seconds up on Russell Brookes’ Sunbeam. McRae Sr was third – but leap-frogged his way to the front when Pondy suffered a double puncture in Dyfi and the wheel studs sheared on Brookes’ car on the second run through Hafren.

Defending world champion Björn Waldegård was among the starters, testing tires on his Toyota Celica ahead of the forthcoming RAC. The Swede’s efforts to match the homegrown British talent were hampered by fuel injection issues on his car.

Twelve years on and Colin McRae arrived in Telford with a second British title already secured. His outing on what was then the final round of the British Rally Championship was all about RAC preparations, also the thinking behind Tommi Mäkinen’s presence in mid-Wales aboard a Nissan Sunny GTi-R. Coming into Wales, Bertie Fisher was the only other driver to have led a BRC round earlier in the season and the then Subaru-driving McRae was determined to make it a clean sweep of six from six British wins.

Colin McRae used what was known as Elonex International as WRC warm-up

The route for the rally had undergone significant change, becoming an overnight event, starting with a brace of runs around Weston Park on Saturday evening before diving into Hafren at two o’clock on the Sunday morning. McRae and Mäkinen went at it for the duration of the event, emerging from the final forest stage in Dyfnant just three seconds apart – in the Finn’s favor.

Colin took two back on the third run around Weston, leaving him just a second behind with just the final shot at the 1.5-mile muddy asphalt test remaining. He did it by two seconds.

Alister had also tasted victory on that 1992 Elonex, winning Group N in the Shell Scholarship Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4. The overall win for the younger of the two brothers came six years later, when Alister dominated the Bulldog Rally aboard a Subaru Impreza WRC98. A longer read on the 1998 event can be found here.

And then to Saturday and a victory for the fourth McRae – with Max’s win in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 coming with just 2.3 seconds in hand over Meirion Evans’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

The family history on a famous event organized by Wolverhampton and South Staffs Car Club is important, but even more important is his feeling with his new car and his preparations for what sits in wait next weekend.

The opening round of the 2026 British Rally Championship – the Severn Valley Stages – is just a touch further south in mid-Wales.

Will McRae force another reworking of history books this year? We’ll watch with interest.

But for now, be it the Castrol, Elonex, Bulldog or Rally North Wales, there’s one set of Welsh woods which will be forever Scotland.

Words:David Evans

Tags: Alister McRae, Colin McRae, Jimmy McRae, Max McRae, Rally North Wales

Publish Date March 30, 2026 DirtFish

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When you’ve spent the last six years of your life racing, and winning, in Formula 1 with Lewis Hamilton as a team-mate, you need something else to sustain your competitive instincts.

Initially, he hoped that would be rallying. But a phone call to renowned driver manager Timo Jouhki steered him down a different path.

“I asked Timo what does he think if I start to pursue a career in WRC and seriously trying to get there? He just said to me, ‘Don’t even bother, you won’t get there, unfortunately. You’re too old already and haven’t done enough and the level is too high. You won’t have a chance, unfortunately. You just stick to racing and you’d be much better off there’.

“That’s what I did. He said it pretty bluntly, but I think he was right.”

Heikki Kovalainen would go on to win the coveted Super GT title in 2016, perhaps proving Jouhki’s advice the wise move. But the question remained: how good a rally driver could Kovalainen be?

The last few years have gone a long way to answering that question. Ever since he got his hands on an R5 car in Japan, he won the title. That 2022 success was backed up by further titles in 2023 and 2025; 2024 missing due to the open heart surgery which necessitated a six-month pause from motorsport.

He’s even competed in the WRC (albeit WRC2) at Rally Japan every year since it returned to the calendar – peaking with a fourth place in 2022 with a Škoda and also last year in a Toyota.

And that suits the 44-year-old perfectly. A man who’s competed at the very highest level can’t shake his competitive instincts, but in a rally car the Finn doesn’t feel the need to shoot for the stars at this phase of his life.

“I’m not trying to get on the WRC scene,” Kovalainen confirms to DirtFish.

“These national championships are enough and the effort that I’m ready to do is enough to be fighting in these championships, but not any higher than that.

“And that’s fine with me.”

But that’s not to say he’s not motivated by new challenges.

After capping off his time in Japan in perfect fashion – winning the final round, and the championship title with it, on his birthday – Kovalainen turns his attention to the Italian Tarmac Rally Championship this season in a Citroën C3 Rally2, starting with this weekend’s Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio.

Kovalainen's done most of his rallying in Japan, but switches to Italy for 2026

“Italy’s a motorsport country and the events are really nice,” Kovalainen explains. “The roads are great and the people are so passionate, while it’s also a lot closer to travel to than Japan.

“But I am bringing my Japanese partners over here in Europe, Aicello, speedHeart Oils and Dunlop Tyres which is nice that they follow me here. Our main objective is to start developing the Dunlop Tyres and that’s an area where I can be quite useful to them as I’ve done that a lot in Japan and during my F1 days also.”

As you’d expect, he and co-driver Patric Öhman will give it their all. But Kovalainen is very self aware when it comes to his strengths and weaknesses as a driver, and that he’s not about to become tomorrow’s superstar.

“I think that my driving has gotten better over the years,” he analyzes. “But if I don’t know the road at all, or even if I knew the road a little bit, I am still was struggling under braking.

Actually, braking areas have been my weak area even through the Formula 1 days. I was never a very good braker, if you like. I’ve always been quite gentle with the pedals, especially the initial hit on the brakes in a Formula 1 car. I was never able to match Hamilton and even other team-mates that I had when you’re arriving to a heavy braking zone and you need to get everything out of there, stop the biggest speed initially very hard and that was always a weak area for me.

Braking was never Kovalainen's strongest suit in racing, and that's carried over to rallying

“And now in rally as well, especially when the grip level is changing, to have that confidence to go to the braking areas and be confident with the brakes has been a struggle, but I feel that I’ve gotten better at that and I feel more often that I’m on the limit under braking than I was before. I think that’s probably the biggest thing.

“If I know the road, if I get enough runs that I can stretch the braking area and I pick a braking point where I know that I can work on during the test day, I get there eventually, but in the rally stages, you know, you only see a corner once or twice year after year.

“But I would say that that’s probably the biggest improvement – that the confidence has gotten better under braking and I’m sort of trusting the grip. And even if the grip isn’t there, I’m sort of trusting that I can manage the braking areas.

“And then in high-speed corners, I always feel that I’ve been pretty good,” he continues. “Even in the Formula 1 days, I was relatively good, relatively speaking, in high-speed corners compared to low-speed corners. In Japan, obviously, there werne’t a lot of high-speed corners, but in the WRC event, there were at least a few of them as well.

“The bigger roads, I feel that that’s an easier path for me. I can use more racing lines and carry a lot of speed into the corner, which is normally the way in the high-speed corners that I’d like to like to drive.

“And then of course the pacenotes are still a weakness. I’ve probably not always been making detailed enough pacenotes, but there is more information now and I think the road I’m describing more often looks like what I’ve tried to describe.

“Sometimes it doesn’t look what I’ve tried to describe, and that’s a pretty bad feeling when you go on the stage and you think, ‘f***, I’ve made way too fast-paced pacenotes or way too slow-paced notes. But I’d say that globally it has gotten better and that should also help us going to Italy.”

It’s a typically detailed debrief, but the biggest thing to know about Kovalainen is his mentality.

“Still there is room for improvements, but I’m also not putting that much effort in away from the rallies,” he shares, candidly.

“If I wanted to become a WRC driver and go to another level, I would need to probably have somebody coaching me a little bit and doing a bit more practice, and I’m not doing that. So I do realize that, and I know that there is a limitation there because I don’t do enough.

“But at the same time, it’s kind of what I’ve always thought about this rally program. I still enjoy driving and I’m still putting effort in during the rallies and I’m checking the pacenotes, working on the setup and everything. Of course, I try to concentrate on every stage like I would in a Formula 1 race. That’s still the same.

Kovalainen enjoys the thrill of driving, but he has other priorities in life too

“But between the events, I’m not putting as much effort in as I should do if I really wanted to improve many areas in the rallies. I would need to do more testing.”

But more testing would eat into precious time with his young family, and today that’s more important than results in a rally car.

Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso have been traded for Andrea Crugnola, Roberto Daprà and Lauri Joona. In their own right, they present the same level of challenge and Kovalainen will do his utmost to challenge them.

But he’ll go home the next day content that he’s done his best, and enjoy the position he’s in to still compete at a high level in motorsport.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Heikki Kovalainen

Publish Date March 27, 2026 DirtFish

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Rally Argentina is tipped to make a World Rally Championship return next season.

Missing from the calendar since 2019, the South American classic is moving towards a candidate event this season, with an eye to a long-term future in the WRC from 2027.

While there has been no official comment from the rally, DirtFish sources have confirmed work is underway to return world rallying to one of its most iconic locations.

A source within the Argentinian media said: “It’s close. We know the preparation (candidate) event is coming, the work is starting. We have seen officials out in the roads and looking – some of the locals are talking about what they’re seeing. Like you can understand, there’s a lot of excitement – as a country, we have missed the WRC.”

The expectation is that, on completion of a successful candidate round, Rally Argentina would move back to Córdoba Province, where it’s likely funding for the event would be coming from. Córdoba has been at the heart of Argentina’s round since 1985.

Argentina hasn't run since 2019, but was one of the most popular events on the calendar

In terms of the route, the source added: “This is where we don’t know so much. We know some of the roads are not the same now, they have been paved and don’t bring the same gravel. But could this be a Rally Argentina without Ascochinga to the north? Or the classics like El Cóndor and Mina Clavero towards the mountains – these are the legends of these rallies and we hope they can be as much a part of the WRC’s future as they are its history.”

With an American WRC round inbound under the same conditions as Argentina for next season and Scotland already confirmed, the 2027 calendar is likely to bring significant change. Paraguay and Chile both host WRC rounds in the Americas, with the former locked in to a three-year deal which concludes in 2027. Chile’s agreement is understood to conclude this season.

Despite the local enthusiasm and confirmed funding, WRC Promoter’s Simon Larkin said: “WRC Promoter has no agreement in place for a WRC event, nor a candidate event, in Argentina.”

Words:David Evans

Tags: Rally Argentina, WRC, WRC 2027

Publish Date March 27, 2026 DirtFish

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Former World Rally Championship Commission president and one of New Zealand motorsport’s most influential figures Morrie Chandler has died, aged 85.

Chandler began his motorsport career competing in hillclimbs and trials with the Northern Sports Car Club in 1962. It wasn’t long before he was president of the club or that much longer before he was elected to the executive board of Motorsport New Zealand.

That journey set the tone for the next 50 years.

While remaining an active competitor, he formed Ralliart New Zealand and lobbied the FIA for a regional series – the Asia Pacific Rally Championship arrived on the back of his efforts in 1988. By that time, he’d already been clerk of the course on Rally New Zealand for four years, a role he held until 2005.

Having sat on the FIA’s WRC Commission since 1983, Chandler was well known across the world of rallying. When Shekhar Mehta passed away following a short illness in April, 2006, the popular Kiwi was asked to step into the position of Commission president.

Mitsubishi and New Zealand rallying were close to Chandler's heart throughout his time in the sport

Mehta’s second stint as president had come as a result of Jacques Regis walking out of the role after 14 months. It was fair to say the Frenchman hadn’t achieved the sort of universal popularity and respect Mehta and subsequently Chandler brought to the job.

After the boom of the early noughties, the WRC was struggling for vision, stability and balance when Morrie took office. He put all of that right. With a typically hardworking, committed and far-sighted approach, Chandler steadied the WRC ship and delivered intervention and direction. He was a breath of fresh air and an absolute joy to interview.

I first met Morrie in 2001 on my first ever trip to his part of the world. He couldn’t have been more helpful. Yes, he had a round of the world championship to run, but he wanted to make sure that my maiden voyage to his part of the planet left me with the right idea about the country, the people and the sport.

That was Morrie. He always had time. Regardless of the time.

It’s fair to say eyebrows were raised when a New Zealander was locked into a senior FIA role which required spending a chunk of time at the governing body’s Paris headquarters.

“It’s a plane ride,” was Chandler’s response. “I’ll be there.”

Chandler was universally popular around the world – but he remained a Kiwi at heart

It was. And he was. Always. Time zones and geography meant nothing to him. He just got on with the task in hand. Establishing the Pirelli Star Driver program – which helped Ott Tänak and Hayden Paddon along the road to the WRC – was one of Chandler’s significant achievements. And his prowess for governance was never limited to rallying, a point underlined by his time as an Formula 1 steward.

Meeting Morrie was always the highlight of a day. Greeted by the big handshake and the warmest of smiles, you arrived into the conversation fully understanding that you would emerge from it both entertained and enriched. He was an absolute gentleman.

As New Zealand’s rallying community lands into Dunedin for next month’s season-opening Otago Rally, hearts will be heavy at the memory of a legend lost. Morrie wouldn’t want that. Smile a smile for him and remember one of the very best of people.

DirtFish extends its deepest sympathies to Morrie’s family and many friends around the world.

Words:David Evans

Tags: Morrie Chandler, Rally New Zealand, WRC

Publish Date March 29, 2026 DirtFish

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To you, the junction at the end of the road may be a ‘square right’. To the next person, it could be a ’90 right’. To someone else, as Max McRae jokes, it could be ‘sausage right’.

This is the language a rally driver and co-driver must learn together. So long as they’re both fluent, it doesn’t matter if you or I understand it or not.

After all, it’s these details that make the difference. Any driver worth their salt can drive a rally car quickly, but ironing out the creases and finding the tenths is the difference between success and failure.

“I think I’m a very natural driver because of go-karting and circuit racing and stuff like that. I think any car I get into, I can slide it about or drive it quite fast,” McRae says, appearing on DirtFish’s podcast SPIN, The Rally Pod.

“But it’s the same thing in rallying: you need the experience to learn the pacenote system, which is always evolving.”

McRae – who’ll fight for the British Rally Championship title this year in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 – uses a system many from his generation do, thanks to a childhood spent playing Colin McRae Rally games: corners graded one to six, with six fastest.

But he and co-driver Cameron Fair “are always changing stuff” in order to improve. Bravely, he selected his final round of 2025 – the Cambrian Rally – to revolutionize his pacenote system; brave because it was also his first event in Škoda’s latest-spec Rally2 model.

However it worked: McRae won the event, his first in the BRC, and looks to keep refining that new system into 2026.

“After Rali Ceredigion last year, which was just not a good weekend, we had to have a bit of a rethink about pacenotes. Going from the Rally4 car into the Rally2, it just became a bit too complex. I just wasn’t taking in the information.

“So we almost went back more towards Colin’s note system where it’s more simple. I’m not really adding flat or stuff like that, it’s just plus or minus, which is probably what I should have done before, but you can get so carried away with adding information sometimes.”

Letters and symbols in a notebook really are crucial in rallying

As the saying goes, it’s different strokes for different folks. What works for McRae doesn’t necessarily work for Elfyn Evans or anyone else. The important thing for each and every rally driver is to first describe the road accurately, and then note that into a system that is digestible at speed.

McRae: “Last year I was using plus and minus on the angle of the corner, whereas now it’s for my speed. It’s just about consistency with all the angles and last year I just didn’t have that consistency, which in the Rally4 car was OK because the speed was much lower and you could get away with stuff a bit more. But in the Rally2 car when you’re flat out, you pretty much have to commit to the car and the line to be on pace.

“So if there was a little kind of misjudgment or there was too much of a difference between a four minus and a four plus, then it was just… I wasn’t committing to the pacenotes and I was being too tentative. It wouldn’t be until the second pass where we changed the notes in service and then I’d be on the pace. But by the time we got there, it was a bit late anyway.

“It’s not a big difference in pace really but I can be more comfortable. It’s unlocked more potential to be even quicker, especially when I get used to the refined system.”

Experience naturally helps in this process: learning stages, the car, driving habits and what ultimately works (or doesn’t). But having the confidence of knowing that the pacenotes are as good as they’re ever going to be removes an element of doubt, freeing the driver’s mind as they line up to attack the stage.

“It is pretty interesting,” says McRae. “Some people might watch Rally TV and be like ‘I have no idea what they’re saying’. It’s a bit of an art and we almost create our own language to drive a car fast.

“There’s no other sport in the world that does that.”

You can listen to the full interview with McRae now, where he discusses his childhood growing up as part of a famous family, his 2026 ambitions and the opportunity that lies ahead for him with the WRC coming to Scotland.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Max McRae, pacenotes, SPIN The Rally Pod

Publish Date March 28, 2026 DirtFish

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Max McRae will contest a full British Rally Championship season in 2026 with a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, aiming to make his World Rally Championship debut too.

The 21-year-old Scot won his first BRC event at the end of last year on his gravel debut with a Škoda, inspiring him to continue his relationship with the Dom Buckley RSC outfit.

Co-driven by Cameron Fair, McRae will compete in this weekend’s Rally North Wales as a warm-up ahead of the British championship season which begins with the Severn Valley Stages (April 11).

McRae told DirtFish: “I’m really excited. I think this could shape up to be a really good year for us.

“We tried the Škoda at the last round last year, the Cambrian Rally, and we ended up winning that. So I think taking that momentum into this year with the Škoda and Pirelli tires, we’ve pretty much got the best package we can get.

McRae will fight for the British championship in a Dom Buckley RSC Škoda

“There’s no reason in me to think that we can’t win the championship this year, especially after having a full year learning last year. It didn’t go to plan, we had some retirements, but that’s rallying. I’m pretty confident and I’m sure we’ll enjoy it regardless.”

McRae views the BRC as the perfect place for him this year given the intensity of the events, and the family history that comes with it.

“The British Championship has shorter events than something you’d get in the European Championship or obviously the World Championship but that also adds the aspect that it’s all quick local guys, so you have to be flat out from the first stage,” he said.

“If you lose 10 seconds on the first stage, you don’t really have time to catch that up over the next eight stages. Especially if it’s a one-day event, you don’t have that time. So it teaches you to really be on it from the first stage, which I think is great.

“But we wouldn’t be doing it again without the idea of getting my name on that trophy as well,” he added. “Dad [Alister] was the last McRae to win it in 1995 and then obviously it would be quite a big gap in years between dad and me winning the championship if I could get my name on that trophy. That would be a massive dream ticked off the bucket list for me and the family.”

Budget still needs found, but McRae plans to make his WRC debut this year

Max has competed in the European Rally Championship for the past three years, but for 2026 has turned his international attentions to the WRC – a series he’s yet to compete in.

“I hope we can make it to WRC2 with the Škoda and Dom Buckley,” he explained. “We’ve still got to work very hard to find the budget, but I think we’ll definitely be at some WRC events this year.

“I’m not sure which ones yet, but I’d like to do some rough events and then some fast events just to build up my experience. To be on a WRC event would just be incredible, so we’ll keep working as hard as we can at it to make that happen.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: British Rally Championship, Max McRae, WRC2

Publish Date March 26, 2026 DirtFish

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Max McRae aims for BRC title and WRC debut in 2026 with Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.

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This could continue the McRae rally legacy, with father Alister last winning BRC in 1995.

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The 21-year-old won his first BRC event last year, giving him momentum for the championship fight.

François Delecour will drive a Peugeot 306 Maxi in competition this season, contesting the FIA European Historic Rally Championship’s Pre-2000 category.

Delecour drove the iconic 306 Maxi in period from 1996-1998 for Peugeot Sport, contesting both the World and French championships.

A change in historic rally regulations means cars built before the year 2000 can now compete, paving the way for Delecour to take on this challenge with IKE Racing.

“I’m very happy to take on this new challenge in the FIA European Historic Rally Championship,” said Delecour. “With the recent expansion of Appendix K regulations, it’s fantastic to see cars like the Peugeot 306 Maxi now eligible to compete, which makes this opportunity even more special.

“The Peugeot 306 Maxi is a car that is very special to me as I was an official Peugeot driver in the ’90s and became French champion with this car, which makes this return even more meaningful.

Delecour's last rally season in a 306 Maxi was 1998

“What makes this car truly unique is not only its performance, but also its character and the engine sound, simply unforgettable. IKE team has done a fantastic job preparing the car, and I believe we have everything we need to be competitive. I’m not coming here just to enjoy the experience – I want to fight at the front.

“The FIA European Historic Rally Championships are very competitive, which makes this challenge even more exciting. I’m really looking forward to getting started and seeing what we can achieve together.”

Delecour will compete in a separate class than Jari-Matti Latvala, whose Toyota Celica ST185 fits into the Pre-1992 category.

The Frenchman missed the season-opening Rally Costa Brava, but will tackle upcoming events in Vlatava, Chablais, Ypres, Weiz, Ulster, Elba and Sanremo.

FIA Historic Championships & Committee Manager, Mathias Doutreleau, added: “It is fantastic to welcome a driver of François Delecour’s calibre back to the FIA European Historic Rally Championship. His presence, together with the inclusion of cars like the Peugeot 306 Maxi following the evolution of Appendix K, highlights the continued growth and relevance of the series. We look forward to seeing him and IKE Racing compete across the season.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: FIA EHRC, Francois Delecour, Peugeot 306 Maxi

Publish Date March 26, 2026 DirtFish

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French rally legend Delecour returns to compete in his iconic 306 Maxi after 28 years.

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New regulations allowing pre-2000 cars creates exciting opportunities for historic rallying.

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Delecour won the French championship with the 306 Maxi during his official Peugeot years.

In the Rally Sweden service park, M-Sport Ford team principal Rich Millener said the following:

“There’s no doubt he has the speed, but I think there’s a bit of work we can still do on racecraft and learning that you just don’t give up.”

Four weeks later at Safari Rally Kenya, the subject matter was different but Millener’s statement was remarkably similar:

“We said there would be lessons to learn and I think the racecraft element is still something that’s there.”

In Sweden, he was talking about Mãrtiņš Sesks. In Kenya, it was Jon Armstrong.

Armstrong’s start to life with M-Sport in the World Rally Championship has blown many away, including the team itself. Millener has talked repeatedly of how impressed he’s been with the 31-year-old.

“His approach in general is fantastic,” Millener told DirtFish in Kenya. “The only downside is he’s wrecking every pair of overalls I’ve bought him!”

But a driver just three events into their Rally1 career is never going to be the finished article. Experience will round Armstrong into a more complete package, but that doesn’t just mean knowledge of the Ford Puma Rally1 or even the events, but how to tackle those events and react when things go wrong.

The best example is from the Safari, where Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne stopped six kilometers from the end of Soysambu 2 with a water pressure alarm.

While a sensible decision in nature, the crew were stationary for 20 minutes as they attempted to contact the M-Sport team back in Naivasha. The issue was phone reception was poor, so this proved an ineffective use of time.

“He’s learning the car and this rally has been very difficult to understand what’s going on with the car,” said Millener.

Armstrong has been a revelation so far in 2026, but isn't yet the finished article

“They got an alarm – and I can’t disagree with their philosophy and the way they did it. They got an alarm about water pressure, about oil pressure and pulled over and stopped; which is ultimately, bottom line, the safest thing to do.

“I think what we have seen over the past couple of days is the mud getting in the radiators and in amongst it and causing all sorts of cooling problems. In hindsight for them maybe they could have knocked it out of stage mode, see if it cooled down a little bit, carried on, modulated it, managed it.

“But at the same time you’ve got to learn that and I’m certainly not going to say they did anything wrong for stopping and checking and obviously sadly with the time we lost yesterday really we’re not losing huge amounts more [positions]. There was a lot of Rally2s in front of us that we were never going to catch so we haven’t lost anything more by dropping another 20 minutes and we’ve got a car that’s still working.

“They phoned us, we talked it through but again it’s just great lessons for them to realize how difficult it is to get the information from the team mid-stage because we’ve got very little information, the radio wasn’t working, the phone was a bit temperamental. And you know now we can use this as learning after the event, to have a debrief with them and show them, ‘Rght this is what we would have done as a team’.

“We’ve already had a quick chat, you have to think about the circumstances of the stage, you’ve suddenly got this alarm, have I hit anything in the last kilometer? No. Have I been through a massive water splash that could be affecting something? Yes I was, so maybe I’ve damaged a radiator or maybe I’ve been through a muddy section and got mud [somewhere]. You kind of need to calculate it all, so we can tell you ‘Yeah there’s alarms and this would be a procedure’ but you also have to apply that knowledge to conditions of the stage, so it’s not something you learn overnight.

Millener says Armstrong will improve his racecraft over time

“But these are the bits that’s going to be hard for them this year because concentrate on the driving and doing all that, if you have an event-free rally it’s very good and that’s kind of what they had in Monte and Sweden, no real issues. And here is the ultimate test, and I think it goes to show a lot of areas they know now they can learn from and proactively try to improve  as we go forward.”

M-Sport frequently finds itself developing drivers and helping them grow to the best versions of themselves, so this teaching process is nothing new to Millener or the team.

“I’ve done it for 20 years now and have seen many different ways, and you’ve seen the best of the best in terms of your Sébs and your Otts who are very mechanically minded and know, ‘I can try this’, get it down and carry on,” Millener added.

“As we’ve just said, you know, if you modulate the temperature and it works, you may have dropped 20, 30 seconds, and on a rally like this, that’s nothing. You stop and drop 20 minutes, then you’re out.

It doesn’t matter because of the position from the day before. But again, it’s one to learn.”

Armstrong’s learning process continues this week, as he spends time working as a mechanic – as well as driving – during the team’s pre-event test for Croatia Rally (April 9-12).

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Jon Armstrong, M-Sport, Rich Millener, Safari Rally Kenya, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 25, 2026 DirtFish

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Both Armstrong and Sesks need to develop better racecraft and decision-making under pressure.

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These learning experiences are crucial for building complete Rally1 drivers who can handle adversity.

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Armstrong has impressed M-Sport in just three Rally1 events but still requires experience to reach his potential.

For Keaton Williams, the last four years have been about total domination of the ARA National Championship. Four titles, 21 rally wins.

Earlier this month, Friday 13th was different. You had to go back to 2021 for the last time the Englishman didn’t wake up in Missouri and celebrate more success with Brandon Semenuk a day later.

Williams remains a co-driver: his Rally North Wales entry, co-driving Tom Cave’s Ford Escort RS1800 this weekend, is a demonstration that he would find it very hard to put the pacenote book down. But this year’s about adding another string to the bow and Rally in the 100 Acre Wood was his first outing as team manager at Standard Motorsports.

“It’s definitely a shift in mindset,” he told DirtFish. “When I woke up on the first morning of the recce, my first thought was: ‘Right, get the pacenote book, let’s go.’

“Oh… It’s a strange feeling to be here after four years co-driving. It’s a different environment and obviously a very different job.”

Williams is working in a new role with Standard Motorsports this year

Looking to acclimatise himself to Ryan Booth’s impressive South Carolina team, Williams was out with the team for a fortnight ahead of the event. That helped with preparations for running DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver Aoife Raftery in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 and Tom Williams in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.

“I wanted to get into the team to understand the people, the different personalities – it was a chance to get ahead of the game,” explained Williams.

“Aoife and Tom both had a really good pre-event test and, to be honest, everything was pretty dialled from the very beginning. It was really interesting to see everything from the other side – to see how the engineers worked with the drivers and how the engineers then worked with the technicians.

“Getting into the event, I think everybody was really pleased to see the pace and the competition at the front. There were four or five cars really fighting it out, which is something America hasn’t seen for a few years. And both of our Standard cars were right up there.

Keaton spent two weeks at the team prior to the event to get himself acclimatized

“Both Tom and Aoife worked very, very well with the team. Tom made great use of his engineer to understand the car and how to get the best out of the set-up and the same for Aoife. The way her pace was building and building through the event, I honestly felt if we’d had another loop, another four or five stages, she’d have been knocking on the door of the podium – that was really encouraging in such a tight field.”

Did he miss the competition?

“Yeah,” Williams smiled. “It was different not getting into the car in service and heading out to the stages, but the buzz in the team was definitely there. We’re fortunate to have RallySafe in ARA, so we can really watch the results and stay in touch with the event. While the cars are in the stages, you’re very focused on that aspect of competition. Outside of that, there was definitely some new stuff, with things like making sure the tires were in the right place, where’s the fuel coming from – there was so much more to think about.

“I was thinking quite a lot about the step I made and it really reminded me of the first time I did an international event; it just feels like there’s a lot more going on and you’ve got to have your head in a few different games. I really enjoyed that.

“It was a bit frustrating when the cars left service and you have that brief lull. I walked a few laps of the service park – I’m not very good at sitting still!

“Moving forwards, I’ve already identified a few areas where we can work before the next event in Olympus – just the 6,000-mile round trip for the team… American geography always brings a different perspective!

“There are some things in the cockpit of the car, the layout of stuff in the back, just a few ideas I’ve got. Ryan’s aim is to have Standard Motorsports be the best customer team in America. I’ve worked with a good few top-level teams in Europe and I’d say he’s well on the way to achieving that.”

One of those ‘top-level teams’ is Toyota Gazoo Racing. As a former co-driver to recent Safari Rally winner Takamoto Katsuta, Williams understands the demands the sport makes at the elite level.

“It was the same with Subaru here in America,” he said, “the planning, the debrief process, the communication – all of that is so important. The communication is something I’ve been really big on, creating WhatsApp groups to make sure engineers and crews are talking and having those lines of communication open all the time.”

Standard is aiming to become the go-to customer team in America

Bringing both cars home in the top six was a near-perfect start for Williams’ team management career.

“It was a really good start,” he said. “Missouri and 100 Acre is a great event. Like everywhere in ARA and rallies around the world, a rally is so dependent on its volunteer force and its organization. I was wearing a different hat on this event and being able to see the invaluable job they do was fantastic.

“Yes, it was a shame we didn’t get the win, Tom’s puncture was unfortunate, but both drivers and co-drivers did a fantastic job and it was great to work with Ryan [Booth] and people like Josie [Rimmer, DirtFish Women in Motorsport co-ordinator and Raftery’s manager]. I’ve worked in teams like Subaru and Toyota at a high level and that’s what we’re striving for with Standard.

“Watching the cars come in to the finish and seeing the crews get out of the car and feel that adrenalin dump was strange. For me, that’s one of the big things about competing: getting to the finish and knowing you’ve done a good job in a really high-speed, high-intensity environment. But the big win was seeing the whole team come together and work so, so well as one unit. Being part of that was mega. Looking forward to the next one now.”

Words:David Evans

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Keaton Williams, Standard Motorsports

Publish Date March 25, 2026 DirtFish

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Williams transitions from four-time ARA champion co-driver to team manager at Standard Motorsports.

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This shift shows how rally expertise can translate across different roles within motorsport teams.

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Williams spent two weeks with the team before his first event to understand personalities and operations.

You’d be hard pushed to find a single soul connected to the World Rally Championship who didn’t have a nice thing to say about the result.

Takamoto Katsuta’s victory at Safari Rally Kenya was long overdue, throughly deserved and universally popular.

But it was also extremely important – not just for Katsuta’s confidence, resumé and potential championship challenge, but for a nation he and his Toyota Gazoo Racing team represent.

Japan.

How much Japan means to Katsuta is obvious; just cast your mind back to the tears last November when a mistake cost him his shot of a dream WRC victory at home.

But Katsuta means just as much to Japan – and Toyota – as Japan means to Katsuta.

Japan's original WRC winner - read on Club DirtFish

“I have always hoped that a ‘Japanese rally driver who can win on the world stage’ would one day become an inspiration for children in Japan,” said Toyota chairman, Akio Toyoda.

“When there is someone to look up to, children and young people strive to surpass them.”

Katsuta has now provided that inspiration.

Toyoda added: “Kids and youngsters who work hard to surpass Takamoto will raise the level of motorsports in Japan. This victory has become a truly great gift to those young people in Japan. Thank you, Takamoto!

“I want Takamoto to become an even greater source of admiration, and we can expect another show at Rally Japan!”

Emotional words which truly resonate with Katsuta, who’s also repaid the faith and investment in Toyota’s Challenge Program by becoming the first graduate to drive, and now win, at the highest level.

“I am the first guy from this Challenge Program to make rally popular in Japan and make a better culture in Japan about motorsports and rallying,” Katsuta told DirtFish.

Katsuta carries the Japanese flag with great pride and responsibility

“Some people say maybe I’m taking too much pressure myself, but I think I have to deliver the result and I make it more popular by my result and success – otherwise it’s more difficult for the next young drivers coming from Japan.

“If I open the better road [it’ll be] much easier for them to come again and even moving forward easier for them, so I’m hoping that there are more talented drivers coming from Japan.

“Maybe 10 years later we will see more and a totally different culture about rallying in Japan.”

Katsuta may have put himself under plenty of pressure, but as they say: pressure makes diamonds.

Few world championship victories have been as important as the latest one.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Akio Toyoda, Takamoto Katsuta, WRC

Publish Date March 24, 2026 DirtFish

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Katsuta's Safari Rally victory marks Japan's breakthrough moment in WRC, inspiring the next generation.

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This win could transform Japan's motorsport culture and create pathways for future rally drivers.

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Katsuta is the first Toyota Challenge Program graduate to win at WRC's highest level.

Toyota’s 2027 World Rally Championship challenger caught the eyes of the watching world in Portugal last week. On Monday we delivered news of what the team and the car was doing – but the key question of pace remained unanswered.

Until now.

The Japanese manufacturer has back-to-backed its 2027 car against its own GR Yaris Rally2 to give a real-time understanding of where the competition is going to be next year. This offers genuine insight for Toyota.

It’s rare that a new regulation set offers the opportunity for an authentic benchmark, but the FIA’s decision to deliver parity between Rally1 and Rally2 makes this the reality for next year.

So where is the new car against the GR Yaris Rally2 which will vault from the second to the top tier of world rallying next season?

“It’s hard to beat our Rally2 car at the moment,” Toyota’s technical director Tom Fowler told DirtFish. “But that’s not surprising: the engine is the same, the weight is the same and the 2027 car is brand-new. The GR Yaris Rally2 has had three years’ development so far.

Toyota is expected to be the only manufacturer with both a Rally1 and Rally2 car in 2027

“We know as a manufacturer, you’re always learning – we see over a five-year homologation cycle, if you were to race the car of year one against the car of year five, there’d be no competition. There are massive steps which go on through every homologation over time.

“Right now, the two cars are at slightly different points in their life, but that’s our target of this year: to pull those cars towards each other and make the best of both of those regulations. Because, at the end of the year, what we need is a Rally2 car performing at the top of the Rally2 category and the ’27 car performing on the same level – so no matter which car someone buys next year, they’re still competitive in WRC.

“Obviously, this is not a straightforward situation, but I would say this is one of the challenges of the ’27 regulations and we’re, let’s say, willing to work around it.”

Running a current WRC program while working remotely on Toyota’s American ARA National Championship and developing an all-new car for next year’s World Rally Championship is stretching the team in Jyväskylä.

Fowler continued: “I’m pretty sure that everybody’s expecting that we’re the ones doing the new car. And a new [car] is always faster, right? Therefore, everything’s done and dusted and easy… but when I look at our job list of what we have to achieve before Monte Carlo with the 2027 car, it would be much easier just to rock up there with a Rally2 car that we already did.”

Toyota won’t be doing that. Toyota’s vision is longer-term and goes beyond what’s being talked of as a transition year before more constructors and manufacturers arriving with 2027-specification cars in 2028.

As mentioned, that does throw up a peculiarity for next year. For those with an eye for history, it’s 1987 all over again – when Group B ended in favor of Group A; a category which had always been running as the second tier.

Will the new car be quicker than the old one? Right now, it doesn't seem so, but the plan is to get them level

“This hasn’t happened for a long, long time,” said Fowler. “You’re disassociating the point of homologation with the eligibility of the vehicles in the event. For next year, you can arrive with an older [Rally2] car where previously everyone’s homologation for the top category were all aligned to the same year.

“It means the door is much more open to use an older vehicle with a higher level of development against a newer vehicle which has a slightly different regulation and all of this brings massive unknowns – which will hopefully result in good competition and plenty of excitement. But ultimately… with a Toyota winning!”

Words:David Evans

Tags: Tom Fowler, Toyota, WRC, WRC 2027

Publish Date March 24, 2026 DirtFish

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Toyota's 2027 Rally1 car currently can't beat their 3-year-developed Rally2 car in testing.

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This reveals the challenge of new regulations where older, refined cars may outperform newer designs initially.

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Similar transition happened in 1987 when Group A cars replaced Group B, promoting second-tier to top category.

Yes, we know it’s a Toyota and we have our suspicions of the flavor – but what exactly is it and what was it doing?

You had to feel for last week’s Rally Raid Portugal. When it came to mainland Europe’s most westerly nation, all eyes were on the red, white and black coupe kicking up the dust on the Boticas roads south of Montalegre.

The second round of the World Rally-Raid Championship was almost overlooked.

Even though last week was the second public test of the Toyota that may or may not be a Celica – or an MR2 – there’s been little word from Jyväskylä or Toyota City. In an effort to break the silence, we went to the man whose pen this 2027 creation has come from: Tom Fowler.

“This is still our original prototype car,” is the answer to the question of what it is. He’s not going to be drawn on names. It’s a camo-liveried Toyota with a wing and a nice noise.

“It’s the car which has been running since the end of last year,” Fowler continued. “We were in Portugal for further evaluation, this time working on some rougher, harder gravel roads. It’s a test which was focused on reliability and car specification.”

Reading between the lines, it’s an interim development-specification car. Is it the final WRC27? No. Is it close? Maybe. The team is still relatively early in the testing cycle of the car, with much of the early running having been completed by the team’s test driver Juho Hänninen.

Perhaps the real significance last week came in the fact that Hänninen stepped aside for Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari to run the car in anger for the first time. DirtFish understands Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta have already driven it.

“We’re just starting to get some more feedback from the works drivers on the direction for the car,” Fowler told DirtFish. “It can be difficult for the drivers and for the engineers to manage the process of understanding the feedback if drivers have just stepped out of a Rally1 car into a 2027-spec car, where the regulation is essentially heavily based on Rally2. The performance difference between those two cars, even when they’re on ultimate specification, is already massive.

“You can imagine that, I mean, we didn’t have the greatest Safari Rally, but still there were periods of time where our drivers were on wide-open throttle for long periods of time over incredibly rough conditions. And the Rally1 car is just soaking that up and it’s driving incredibly well through very difficult, hard conditions. That comes about from five years of development, from the increased cost cap that’s allowed on this car, the technicality behind it, hugely powerful engine, all of these topics. Then you step into the ’27 car, a day later, you start to miss something.

“Essentially, what we’re trying to really manage is to understand what feedback is really about the car of this [2027] regulation and what feedback is about the difference between the Rally1 car and the 2027 car. That’s not so easy to do. And it’s why our test program has been with test drivers not from our Rally1 team, because that neutral feedback is important.”

Question answered. That’s what Toyota was doing in Portugal last week. Typically, answering one question only brings another. And the most obvious one was on performance. Insiders have talked of the 2027 car being slower than current Rally2 machinery, but is that truly the case?

Words:David Evans

Tags: Tom Fowler, Toyota, WRC, WRC 2027

Publish Date March 23, 2026 DirtFish

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Toyota's 2027 WRC prototype focuses on reliability testing with works drivers now providing crucial feedback.

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The performance gap between current Rally1 and 2027-spec cars creates major development challenges for teams.

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WRC's 2027 regulations are heavily based on Rally2 specifications rather than current Rally1 technology.

Safari Rally Kenya winner Takamoto Katsuta has hit out at negative speculation surrounding Kalle Rovanperä’s decision to pause his circuit racing activities amid a medical issue.

Two-time World Rally champion Rovanperä has pulled out of his Super Formula season after previously skipping a pre-season test with an inner-ear balance problem; he also missed the season finale of the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy due to illness.

Katsuta, who lives close to Rovanperä in Monaco and was team-mates at Toyota’s World Rally Championship team for six years, has now felt the need to publicly back Rovanperä on social media, saying that Rovanperä’s recent struggles have nothing to do with a lack of adequate preparation.

“I’m writing this as a close friend,” Katsuta said on the X social media platform.

“There’s bound to be all sorts of speculation surrounding this sort of situation, but it’s not because his physique isn’t suited to formula racing, or because he lacks the necessary strength.

“As mentioned in Kalle’s own statement, the issue is simply that a chronic condition he’s had for a long time has, through sheer bad luck, taken a turn for the worse at this particular moment, and the question is what must take priority now.

“He certainly didn’t take racing lightly; he made the decision to take on the world of racing with the utmost respect. And he was prepared to sacrifice a great deal to do so.

“He must be the most disappointed of all, and I, having watched this challenge unfold from the closest vantage point, feel exactly the same way.

“Even so, I cannot thank Morizo-san and everyone in the team enough for their unwavering support. I’m sure that, given it’s Kalle, he’ll make a full recovery, come back stronger than ever.

“For now, I just want him to recover as fully as possible! Hang in there, Kalle!”

Katsuta and Rovanperä are close friends

Rovanperä did not get a chance to embark on his primary racing campaign of 2026, with the opening round of the Super Formula season not taking place until April. His best open-wheel result had been a podium finish in the rain-soaked opening race at FR Oceania’s Teretonga round.

Katsuta, who competed in single-seaters before switching to rally, remains convinced that once his health issues clear, Rovanperä has what it takes to succeed in circuit racing.

“One final thing,” wrote Katsuta. “You’d be amazed if you saw Kalle’s performance in the F2 tests and on the simulator.

“Anyway, I really hate it when people write or say all sorts of things based on speculation, so I just had to write this.”

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Katsuta defends teammate Rovanperä against critics questioning his circuit racing commitment due to medical issues.

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This highlights how health challenges can derail promising motorsport careers and the importance of peer support.

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Rovanperä showed strong pace in F2 testing before his chronic inner-ear condition worsened unexpectedly.

It’s a team sport, and there aren’t many more effective at playing the game – certainly not right now.

The World Rally Championship is littered with examples of drivers who have perfectly fulfilled the ‘third driver’ role; Hyundai’s Dani Sordo’s perhaps the immediate name that springs to mind.

But what makes this such the perfect fit is the driver’s preference for this role. He’s not seeing his part program as a launchpad for more outings; select WRC events suit him perfectly.

And his performances show it, so much so that he has the second-highest average driver rating from Colin Clark so far in 2026 – only surpassed by world championship leader Elfyn Evans.

(You can read all the driver ratings columns by joining Club DirtFish.)

Lappi has performed at a very high level in his two events this year

The driver we’re talking about is Esapekka Lappi, who himself feels like he is the perfect third driver for Hyundai.

“I do think I’m doing exactly the third driver role, so I think they cannot complain much so far,” Lappi told DirtFish.

In Sweden Lappi was the highest-performing i20 pilot, but finished behind Adrien Fourmaux for tactical reasons. In Kenya, the Finn deliberately took a cautious approach throughout the entire weekend and was rewarded with fourth place – helping Hyundai outscore Toyota for the first time this season.

Two rallies, two big ticks in the box.

“Yeah I agree, I agree,” he said. “We bagged some points for the team. After Thierry [Neuville] retired [on Saturday] it was important that we come through.

Basically, we stick to the plan what we said before the rally. We let nothing to disturb that plan. Finally, I managed to finish this rally.”

The results speak for themselves, and highlight Lappi’s worth. On both events he’s started, he’s contributed to Hyundai’s manufacturer points tally. The team’s only world drivers’ champion cannot boast the same.

But more than that, it’s Lappi’s compliance that makes him a dream for Hyundai.

Throughout various managerial structures, Hyundai has never been shy of utilising its third car (driven by alternating drivers) to benefit its full-time drivers with hungry eyes on the drivers’ title. At times that’s created head aches, but not with Lappi.

The 34-year-old is so understanding of his role that he was the one who decided to let Fourmaux by in Sweden, rather than management having to tell him to.

Lappi’s had plenty of practice as a part-time driver – contesting both the 2022 (with Toyota) and 2024 seasons in such a position.

Lappi's headspace is helping him flourish in his third driver role

But the biggest change now is his perspective. Lappi had all but given up on driving in the WRC. What he’s doing now is purely a bonus.

“It was really good break and just to do some national events, you know, to have fun without any pressure with your old friends,” he reflected.

“And then also with Enni [Mälkönen], I mean, something new, you know, which I didn’t know before. And every trip you go with her, you get to know her better. So, yeah, we are enjoying now.”

Lappi’s next event will be the one where the “flag is black, blue and white” – in other words, Rally Estonia. Before then, Hyundai has another couple of aces in its pack: Hayden Paddon and the returning Dani Sordo.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Esapekka Lappi, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 23, 2026 DirtFish

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Lappi's team-first mindset and consistent point-scoring make him Hyundai's ideal part-time driver.

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His compliance and strategic awareness help Hyundai maximize manufacturer points without internal conflicts.

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Lappi previously drove part-time for Toyota in 2022 before joining Hyundai's rotation system.

Robert Virves started 2026 the way we had expected his 2025 to kick off: with a win and slotting himself right into WRC2 title fight conversation.

Last year did not start well for the 2022 Junior WRC champion. He got stuck in a snowbank on the penultimate stage of Rally Sweden, crashed out of Islas Canarias and then shunted again on his first points-scoring outing in Portugal.

When Virves heard that his first outing of 2026 would be on the notoriously tough Safari Rally Kenya, he felt uneasy. This, surely, was not the place to start the season off on a better footing than the previous one, given its fearsome reputation for breaking cars.

“I wasn’t too happy when we planned to come here, because I was thinking it would be better to drive this rally for experience without points if possible,” Virves told DirtFish.

He wasn’t the only Škoda driver in that boat: Andreas Mikkelsen kicked off his (for now, partial) campaign in a sister Toksport car. Their fortunes diverged immediately, with Virves on the pace as torrential rain hammered the Camp Moran test and turned the roads into a mud bath.

Virves broke free in Kenya, winning comfortably despite not winning a single stage

Meanwhile Mikkelsen’s washer bottle emptied faster than he could finish the stage, leaving him driving blind for 10 kilometers – his windscreen caked in mud that wouldn’t clean – and dropping almost two minutes.

As overall winner Takamoto Katsuta proved, this Safari was about survival above all else – and Virves was the only top Rally2 driver that didn’t run into any trouble. After taking second place from Diego Domínguez on stage six, he swiftly took the lead from Gus Greensmith, who was nursing a faulty gearbox.

“From the beginning my plan was to keep it in one piece and avoid punctures at any cost,” said Virves. “So [the rally] was quite well done, I would say.

“We had quite proper push in some sections. When there was a bigger risk to break the car or have punctures I was driving too slow sometimes, but in the end, I was thinking about the final result, not stage wins this time.”

Virves shares the championship lead with Léo Rossel and Roope Korhonen

Mikkelsen went on to win eight stages; Virves didn’t top the times once. It didn’t matter. Virves, with 25 points on the board, now sits atop the WRC2 standings alongside Monte Carlo winner Léo Rossel and Sweden victor Roope Korhonen.

After the misfiring start to his previous campaign, starting 2026 with a win on his first trip to Kenya has instilled him with confidence for the season ahead.

“Yeah, of course,” said Virves. “Especially to win a new rally when I come here for the first time, compared to the others; it is a good feeling, I have to say.”

Words:Alasdair Lindsay

Tags: Robert Virves, Safari Rally Kenya, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, WRC, WRC2, WRC2 2026

Publish Date March 22, 2026 DirtFish

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Virves won Safari Rally Kenya without winning a single stage by prioritizing survival over speed.

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His cautious strategy paid off as other top drivers suffered mechanical failures and punctures.

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The 2022 Junior WRC champion now shares the WRC2 championship lead with two other drivers.

No rally on the calendar stirs the same emotions as this African classic.

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Words:Massimo Bettiol

Tags: Massimo Bettiol, Safari Rally Kenya, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 22, 2026 DirtFish

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WRC

Up Next

The driver who won a rally he didn’t want to start

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Safari Rally Kenya remains the most emotionally stirring event on the WRC calendar.

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This African classic showcases unique terrain and challenges that set it apart from other rallies.

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Kenya's Safari Rally returned to WRC in 2021 after a 19-year absence from the championship.

The juxtaposition is incredible. Toyota’s technical director Tom Fowler has been talking for 15 minutes about last week’s Safari Rally Kenya, but he’s yet to deliver deep-dive detail on Takamoto Katsuta’s maiden World Rally Championship win.

Much as Fowler relishes success, it’s failure which keeps him awake at night and having three cars retire from the Safari was the stuff of Tom’s nightmares. Predictably, he’s been over and over round three and has a number of observations about how a possible top-five finish ending as a first and third for Katsuta and Sami Pajari.

Oliver Solberg, Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans all retired on or following the Sleeping Warrior stage on Saturday. The trio returned to dominate Super Sunday, while Katsuta won the event.

Fowler told DirtFish: “I feel for Taka in this situation. We don’t want his victory to be undermined by the difficulties the rest of the team faced, but at the same time we have to recognize that as a team we didn’t do the best job for all our cars.

“This was probably the most complex Safari we’ve done. It’s the one which involved the most amount of elements. If this really was a story of a single component failure and we have to work out why and make it better for next time, then that’s a hard lesson to learn. And there may be some engineering to do – in fairness this has already been done and it was done overnight on Saturday, because nobody in the team could sleep!

“So, we can say from a technical point of view, the car should have been better, no doubt. If the car broke, it can always be better. But at the same time, we need to question our strategy.

“I think it’s fair to say that throughout the whole team, we had a huge benefit of performance over our rivals on this event. Our cars were faster than everybody else – we saw quite early on, that we had a performance level that the others can’t match. At the same time, we had the information that this is the most difficult rally that Kenya has shown us in six years and that the weather conditions are the worst that we’ve seen any time that we’ve been there.

“With these two pieces of information, what we should have done is find a way throughout the whole team, through the engineers, the drivers, co-drivers, mechanics, everybody, that we use that performance benefit to outweigh how difficult the rally is going to be and use it to take a margin over our rivals.

“But actually, what we did was, across all of the levels, we accepted that we were going to race each other. This is one of those human topics which we need to look at. Yes, there are influences from the engineer’s side as well as from the driver’s side. I think we could have worked better together to manage the risk.

“Was this the Safari where we learned the most lessons? I would say this is the Safari which presented the most complex and layered challenge to us. But yes, we learned lessons.”

Fowler discusses those lessons and the thinking behind them fully in his exclusive column on Club DirtFish.

Tom Fowler column: What went wrong in Kenya

Words:David Evans

Tags: Club DirtFish, Safari Rally Kenya, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, Tom Fowler, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 21, 2026 DirtFish

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Toyota's technical director admits the team failed to manage risk despite having the fastest cars at Safari Rally Kenya.

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This highlights how even dominant performance means nothing without proper strategy and risk management in motorsport.

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Three Toyota cars retired on the challenging Sleeping Warrior stage, though Katsuta still secured his first WRC victory.

Kalle Rovanperä is stepping back from his Super Formula program due to a worsening medical issue.

The 25-year-old Finn departed rallying bound for a full-time assault on circuit racing at the end of last season. Those plans have now been put on hold while following a decision made by Rovanperä, Toyota Gazoo Racing and his partners.

The two-time world champion’s first foray into Super Formula came at last year’s post-season series test, when he was forced out after suffering an inner-ear balance problem caused by Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

He returned to racing for the New Zealand-based Formula Regional Oceania Trophy series earlier this year. After demonstrating improving pace and a maiden podium with Hitech, illness forced him out of the fourth and final race weekend at the end of January.

Rovanperä, who completed last month’s pre-season Super Formula test in Suzuka in 24th position, delivered his decision to pause his program via his social media channels on Saturday.

Rovanperä signed off from the World Rally Championship in Saudi Arabia last year

His statement read: “I have difficult news to share I will be stepping back from the upcoming races and my participation in this year’s Super Formula season.

“I’ve been working with medical issues for already a longer period, which have gotten worse this year. My health doesn’t allow me to continue safely at the moment. Now my first priority is to fix that.

“Feedback and progress this year shows that there’s good potential in this project.

“My chapter in circuit racing isn’t finished.

“I’m more than sorry for those who hoped to see me on track. I’m looking forward to see you all soon as possible!

Toyoda's commitment to Rovanperä and his circuit racing ambitions is unwavering 

“I’m grateful to Morizo (Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda), TGR and my partners for their care and for standing by me, and I’ll keep working hard to come back stronger. Thank you for your understanding and your continued support.”

Toyoda issued his own statement, to confirm Toyota’s complete commitment to Rovanperä’s racing project as well as an understanding of his health concerns.

Toyoda statement reads: “I would like to share some difficult news: Kalle Rovanperä will be stepping back from the upcoming races,”

“He has poured his heart into challenging himself in formula cars, driven by a deep and unwavering desire to grow. Every time he got on track in private tests, his speed was clear to see. I watched him push harder, find something new within himself, and trim his lap times again and again.

“Yet despite that passion and progress, his body was struggling to keep up. After receiving a medical evaluation, we reached the painful conclusion that continuing to compete would not be the right choice for him.

As Morizo, I will continue to stay by his side — not only as a fellow driver, but as a team-mate who believes in him with all my heart. Akio Toyoda - Morizo

“As Morizo, this decision weighed heavily on me. I asked myself what it truly means to let him chase speed, and what it means to protect someone you believe in. In the end, balancing those responsibilities led me to pause his participation in this year’s Super Formula season.

“To everyone involved, and to all the fans who have supported him with such warmth, I am truly sorry that we could not meet your hopes.

“But please believe this: his circuit racing challenge is far from over. His love for cars and his drive to become faster will not fade.

“As Morizo, I will continue to stay by his side — not only as a fellow driver, but as a team-mate who believes in him with all my heart. Thank you for your continued and heartfelt support.”

Words:David Evans

Tags: Akio Toyoda, Kalle Rovanperä, Morizo, Super Formula

Publish Date March 21, 2026 DirtFish

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Two-time rally champion Rovanperä pauses Super Formula due to worsening inner-ear balance issues affecting safety.

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Health problems in high-speed motorsport can end careers, making early intervention crucial for long-term racing futures

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Rovanperä previously won back-to-back WRC titles in 2022-2023 before switching to circuit racing this year.

Over 1,000 days (1,007 to be precise) is a rather long time to wait, just to lose out by 0.4 seconds.

But on his first American Rally Association National Championship start since Southern Ohio 2023, that’s the fate that befell Tom Williams at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.

Driving Standard Motorsports’ Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, the Briton won the opening stage and led the rally outright on Saturday morning, but lost the RC2 win, and second overall (to Patrick Gruszka), on the final stage by just four tenths.

That’s galling for any competitor, but 2022 RC2 champion Williams was delayed by a puncture on SS11 of 13 which really did the damage (costing over 20 seconds), and was then magnanimous in defeat to his rival on the night-time powerstage.

“Pat pulled it out the bag, I’ll give it to him,” Williams told DirtFish. “I was just being cautious and lost a bit of time in that.”

Williams eventually missed victory by 21.6 seconds to Subaru’s Travis Pastrana.  But despite the obvious case of what might have been, the 27-year-old’s overall tone remained positive, considering he hasn’t attempted a proper championship challenge in the past three years.

“For sure there was a bit of pressure,” he admitted. “I work full-time and I’m behind a desk half the time as a designer, so going from a desk to driving 120mph through Missouri, going over crests and jumps in the middle of the night, is quite tough.

“Adjusting between the two has been interesting but we were fully committed, we were confident. We were just trying to drive our own race. It was my first time being first on the road – when I was competing with Brandon [Semenuk] he was always first on the road, now I understand his situation a lot more.

“It has its benefits because you have a blank canvas,” Williams elaborated, “you don’t have to follow anyone. You go there and carve your own line out, and if you’re fully committed in your notes and how you want to go, it’s fine.

“But then on the second pass of course you’ve already made that line and everyone else has made their own line, so you try and recreate that and there’s lines all over the place, so that I found quite difficult. But I really enjoyed it actually.”

Williams also enjoyed working with Standard Motorsports for the first time, as team-mate to DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver Aoife Raftery.

“I’ve known Ryan Booth for a lot of years,” Williams smiled, “I used to compete with him when he came to do JWRC and we were just chatting, and he asked if I wanted to come and do some events in the Škoda. It all worked out quite nicely.

“Now we’re here and the team did a fantastic job. Engineers, mechanics, Ryan, Keaton Williams as our coordinator, it was a hell of a team. It felt very easy, I just need to do my job better!”

The plan is for Williams to see out the season, which he is working to achieve.

“I’m really pleased that we made loads of progress – first time with the team, first time with Ross [Whittock, co-driver] for a couple of years, this is my third event in this car so we’re really happy with the progress,” he concluded, “but of course wanted to win the event.

“We’ll be back.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Tom Williams

Publish Date March 20, 2026 DirtFish

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Williams lost his first rally in over 1,000 days by just 0.4 seconds after leading early stages.

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The heartbreaking defeat highlights how fine margins separate victory from defeat in professional rallying.

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Williams previously won the 2022 RC2 championship before taking his extended break from competition.

Finland is no stranger to winning when it comes to rallying: only France has more event wins and event winners in the World Rally Championship.

But this is one title neither Sébastien can tilt in French favor.

Secto Rally Finland has won the Most Sustainable Sport Event category at the UN Tourism and FIA Awards for Excellence in Sustainable Sports Tourism in Madrid.

Evaluation criteria include environmental, social and economic impact, innovation, governance, scalability, and long-term legacy.

With a partner like Secto Automotive, the Jyväskylä-based event has become a powerhouse, regardless of the yardstick. It was recognized for its comprehensive and long-term sustainability work, where environmental responsibility, community engagement and measurable impact are embedded into all aspects of event delivery.

Three successive and enormously successful editions of the Spark the Future sustainability seminars didn’t go unnoticed. 

Chief commercial officer of AKK Sport, the organizer of Secto Rally Finland Paula Paappanen said: “We would like to thank the staff of AKK Sports and Secto Rally Finland, as well as all our partners, local communities and stakeholders who work with us to develop sustainable solutions. 

“A special thank you goes to Secto Automotive, the City of Jyväskylä, and everyone who played a key role in launching the Spark the Future sustainability seminar in 2022.”

Secto Automotive CEO Markus Vuolle said the partnership shared the same vision, adding: “Our cooperation with the event organiser, AKK, has been close and diverse year after year, and sustainability work has been developed through concrete actions together. 

“Our shared values are clearly reflected in everything we do, and we are committed to taking this work even further in the years to come in connection with the Jyväskylä WRC rally. Secto Automotive congratulates AKK on this significant international recognition and encourages the team to continue its ambitious efforts towards a more sustainable future.”

FIA president and UN Ambassador for Sustainable Tourism in Sport Mohammed Ben Sulayem talked of his pride in seeing one of the WRC’s most celebrated rallies taking such a prestigious award.

“As we increase participation and welcome new fans worldwide,” he said, “motorsport has become one of the fastest growing sectors in global tourism. These awards celebrate our sport’s positive impact as a driving force of innovation, sustainable development, and economic growth.

“Sustainability is not just a goal, it is our responsibility, and I am proud that Secto Rally Finland has been recognised by UN Tourism for its leadership. Together, we are setting new benchmarks for sustainability and building a future where sport continues to unite people across borders.”

As a top-10 finisher of Finland’s round of the world championship, FIA deputy president for sport Malcolm Wilson understands all aspects of the event. The Briton added: “Secto Rally Finland stands as a powerful example of how sustainability and motorsport can coexist. The event has consistently shown leadership, not only through the sporting challenge for which it is renowned, but also through its commitment to innovation and progress within our sport. 

“In 2025, Secto Rally Finland placed sustainability at the heart of its programme, hosting its third Spark the Future conference and shining a spotlight on the future of sustainable mobility and new energy solutions. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the entire organising team on this well-deserved recognition.”

Not a bad way for Secto Rally Finland to start its 75th birthday celebrations.

Words:David Evans

Tags: Rally Finland, WRC

Publish Date March 20, 2026 DirtFish

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Rally Finland won UN Tourism's Most Sustainable Sport Event award for comprehensive environmental work.

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This shows motorsport can lead sustainability efforts while maintaining competitive excellence and fan engagement.

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The rally celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, marking decades of Finnish rallying heritage.

Toyota’s brand-new GR Corolla Rally RC2 failed to finish its maiden event, but that’s of no concern to the World Rally Championship’s leading manufacturer.

World Rally-Raid driver Seth Quintero and co-driver Topi Luhtinen have been entrusted with rallying the Corolla in the 2026 American Rally Association National Championship, beginning with last weekend’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.

Despite his extensive rally-raid experience as part of Toyota’s works squad, 100 Acre Wood was just Quintero’s second-ever stage rally, and he settled into an early seventh place overall after the first day – under half a minute of the rally lead.

The 23-year-old started the second day with a top-five stage time, but SS7 Loup Southern 5600 – 1 would prove his last competitively as the Corolla’s air intake filled with water through a watersplash.

Quintero parked the car on the stage, only for it to be hit by rival Vivian Campell’s Mitsubishi. But the Toyota mechanics repaired the Corolla and sent Quintero out to complete the final loop of the rally in order to get more mileage.

Quintero had to retire from the event, but Toyota has entered ARA with a 'yee ha' attitude

Quintero told DirtFish: “We went through the watersplash and water went through the bottom of the bumper and hit the intake and blew the intake off. When we pulled over there was water in the intake.

“We’re here to test, it’s our first one, it’s the first one for the car, so it wasn’t worth risking having water in the motor or anything so we just parked it and I guess parking it was the worst decision because then we got smoked! But it was a lot of fun to get back in the car and warm up again.

“There was no pressure to begin with which was kind of the weird part,” he added. “There’s a couple of finetuning things to do and we’re gonna come back swinging hard.

“I gained as much knowledge as I could, got to get a night stage in and am starting to get faster so I’m looking forward to the next one – it should be a lot of fun.”

Toyota technical director Tom Fowler wasn’t in Missouri, but paid close attention to how his latest creation fared on its debut.

“It was great to see the GR Corolla RC2 car out there competing on its debut in Missouri,” Fowler told DirtFish.

“As we’ve discussed previously, this is a customer-focused car which is, essentially, built from the parts catalogue for the GR Yaris Rally2. There are areas where we will want to look more closely – for example the damage sustained to the front of the car in the watersplash – and we’ve already started working on improvements from there.

“It’s important to note this isn’t a car where we’re going into America in a ‘yee-haa’ fashion looking to show everyone what we can do. This is about developing a car for customers in a cost-effective fashion.

“It’s maybe a hard learning point to go out of the first rally in this way, but right now this is about the process of further developing the car more than it is about the result.”

The car’s next event will be the Olympus Rally presented by DirtFish on April 17-19.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Seth Quintero, Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2

Publish Date March 20, 2026 DirtFish

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Toyota's new GR Corolla Rally RC2 retired on debut but provided valuable development data for future events.

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The car represents Toyota's customer-focused approach to American rallying using proven GR Yaris Rally2 components.

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Driver Seth Quintero had only competed in one previous stage rally despite extensive rally-raid experience.

Elfyn Evans is a practical sort of World Rally Championship leader. And, as a typically resourceful star of Toyota Gazoo Racing, he’s come up with an alternative to the clamour for a beefed-up, Safari-strong car next time the WRC’s in Kenya.

That’s not to say he wouldn’t like a bit more steel in the metal, but he’s keen not to be needing a boat again.

“A bit more flexibility with the car wouldn’t go amiss,” he told DirtFish. “Or we have a bit more common sense about which sections to run and not run when weather extremes hit.”

Evans rebuffed the suggestion this meant sanitising the Safari to avoid mud and water, adding: “We have to come prepared for mud and water, but of course there’s a difference between mud and water and where you need a boat.

“And things like what happened on Saturday [when the organizers] changed the route after the recce, all these things are not where we should be as a sport. If you have a rough section, you have to use your head and you have to slow down and you can manage that. The problem is, when you have tall grass and these big stones littered everywhere, it’s a pure lottery at that moment.

“It’s about stage selection. If it’s rough and you have to manage and you have to accept that you have to slow down to avoid punctures, that can be part of Safari Rally. But when they put rocks to stop you cutting and send you into these massive deep water holes, that starts to be a problem.”

Evans was, however, equally quick to understand the virtues and the value of an event like the Safari.

“The championship is all about showing the diversity of these cars and this is obviously the extreme side, but it provides some of the best shots of the year,” he said.

“It’s OK to have a rally [like this] once in a while, but you have to use your head. But I think it didn’t matter what you did in some scenarios on that event, I felt you were at the mercy of luck.”

Evans finished 13th overall after retiring on Sleeping Warrior 1 with damage to the rear-right of his Toyota.

Words:David Evans

Tags: Safari Rally Kenya, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, WRC, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 19, 2026 DirtFish

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ARA

Up Next

Rimmer: This is just the beginning for Aoife

No trail can be blazed without a clear starting point.

April 2025 was that marker in the sand; the beginning of an inspirational story with room for many more chapters. Round three of this year’s American Rally Association National Championship turns the page to chapter two.

DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver Aoife Raftery will return to the Olympus Rally presented by DirtFish, having debuted at the event 12 months ago.

Then, she drove a DirtFish Subaru WRX. Now, she’ll pilot a Ford Fiesta Rally3, run and prepared by Element Rallysport.

“I’m delighted to share the news that I’ll be competing at the Olympus Rally,” Aoife smiled. “It feels incredible to be heading back to the next round of the ARA and I couldn’t be more excited to get back behind the wheel and onto the incredible stages over there.

“It’s the first rally that we’re returning to for a second time in the US so it should definitely be a help for us, getting settled into the rally. The stages there are very technical so it should be interesting to see how that goes and with nearly 200 stage miles it should be an incredible event.

“Last year we did the event in the DirtFish Subaru WRX. This time going back in the Rally3, with some experience in the car, should definitely should be a help since we’ve made a lot of progress over the last year.”

Aoife’s not kidding. Olympus 2025 was a stunning result as the Irishwoman claimed a podium in the L4WD class, and she’s kicked on ever since – even claiming an outright podium at last year’s Overmountain Rally Tennessee.

Finishing second in class at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood earlier this month, the target is for more of the same in Washington.

But Aoife’s eyes are also off the stages, where the impact of the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver Program can really be felt.

“With the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver Program we’re really beginning to show strong presence on the American stages, and I’m very proud to be part of that momentum,” she said.

“Our goal is to keep developing this Program and take it all the way to the top.”

Aoife's shown great progress in a year, but this story is only just getting started

Those sentiments are very much echoed by DirtFish Women in Motorsport coordinator Josie Rimmer.

“Look how much we’ve achieved in the last year,” said Josie. “It’s incredible to think that Aoife hadn’t even competed in America 12 months ago and now she’s scored three podiums in four starts and a third overall in a Rally3 car [at last year’s Overmountain Rally]. That sort of progress, success and visibility is exactly what the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver program is all about.

“Next up is Olympus, back where this adventure started for Aoife. She’s staying with the Ford Fiesta Rally3, but the car will be run by Element Rallysport. We’re super-grateful to Ryan [Booth], Keaton [Williams] and the team at Standard Motorsports for the awesome car in Missouri, but with Tony’s [Torchia] shop at Element just down the road from us in Shelton, it makes more sense to run that car at Olympus.

“The Olympus Rally presented by DirtFish is going to be one of the biggest events in American rallying’s recent history and we’re very proud to have Aoife representing DirtFish and the DirtFish Women in Motorsport program there.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Aoife Raftery, ARA, ARA 2026, DirtFish Women in Motorsport, Olympus Rally, Olympus Rally 2026

Publish Date March 19, 2026 DirtFish

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Thierry Neuville has led calls for Safari Rally Kenya to be more “specific” in the future, suggesting Safari-spec cars and a vastly different itinerary.

Drivers predicted the 2026 iteration would be the toughest of the modern era and so it proved, with heavy rainfall in the lead up to the event deepening the challenge.

None of the Rally1 drivers had a trouble-free event as half the field retired from at least one of the legs; even rally winner Takamoto Katsuta lost his intercom on SS1 and suffered a double puncture on SS7.

Neuville was one of the drivers to retire, collecting two punctures and then a driveshaft issue on SS14. He told DirtFish that drivers enjoy the challenge of the Safari, but measures should be taken to aid the competition.

“I mean, I like to rally. Everybody likes to rally and the adventure,” Neuville said. “And also in terms of the championship, it gives new images and spectacular footage, which WRC needs. I mean, those pictures with the cars in the mud go around the world. So that’s what WRC needs.

“But I also think we could make it more specific with more days of rallying, longer stages, but less stages per day. Allow service in between the stages to make it a little bit like in the past and then just allow maybe a different bumper in the front to avoid this mud going on the cooler and make it a bit stronger for protection and water splashes.

“Maybe have a bit stronger wishbone – a few little things which the car needs to survive. And that would already be much nicer for the competition. Everybody would be able to attack on a similar level and that would be nicer.”

Neuville had plenty of support from his peers around the service park.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans told DirtFish: “I think a bit more flexibility wouldn’t go amiss, especially with so much water that we have to deal with or that we have to have a bit more common sense about which sections to run and not run when weather extremes hit.”

Oliver Solberg argued that the Rally1 cars “cost 1.5 million anyway, so if you throw another two grand at it to protect your car, it doesn’t matter [for the budget]”.

Solberg says the cost increase in modifying cars won't be felt considering how much the cars cost anyway

He added: “Let us be allowed, the FIA or whoever, to make the cars a little bit stronger for this fantastic adventure.

“It’s the coolest adventure we have in the year. It’s the toughest, hardest rally and it’s just a cool adventure. Just make it [the cars] a little bit stronger.”

Neuville’s Hyundai team-mate Adrien Fourmaux said it’s “clear” the cars in their current specification are not suitable for the Safari.

“The rally is so extreme and so different than the others,” he mused. “We need to have a special spec that we can be quite open class, I would say, for this rally because it’s so unique that you cannot prepare a car for only one event in a championship.”

However WRC Promoter’s senior event director, Simon Larkin, doesn’t see any need for change.

“When we brought it back, we were quite clear: we wanted this to be a modern WRC Safari. We never wanted to build extra cars,” said Larkin. “We didn’t want extra testing. We don’t want separate homologation parts or anything like that. And I think we’ve succeeded there.

“Even some of the drivers here who haven’t necessarily had the best results, they still had that sense of adventure and still had an enjoyable time. We think it’s an important part of driving, and we can hear the drivers saying: ‘I just need to get through this. I just need to get through this’. Not everything needs to be a sprint.”

Safari Rally Kenya returned to the WRC calendar in 2021 after a nine-year hiatus, but doesn’t yet have a deal in place for 2027.

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Safari Rally Kenya, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, Thierry Neuville, WRC

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Neuville advocates for a more traditional Safari Rally format to enhance competition.

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This shift could revitalize the event's appeal and challenge drivers in new ways.

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The Safari Rally is known for its unique conditions, making it distinct from other WRC events.

When you’re as obsessed with victory as Sébastien Ogier is, frustration is never far from the surface when you’re not winning.

It doesn’t matter that Toyota has won 16 of the last 18 World Rally Championship events, or that it maintained its 100% domination of the current generation of Safari Rally Kenya. To Ogier, at least.

The Frenchman didn’t win, and any opportunity to win was squashed by an issue he saw as being outside of his control.

What else, then, did we really expect him to say when the microphone was ushered towards him at the end of the powerstage?

“We have dominated as a team in recent times,” he said, “but this weekend was not a good one for us.”

Oliver Solberg was ejected from the lead with the same alternator issue on the road section out of SS13 – Sami Pajari is understood to have suffered the same problem, but found a solution to return to service – while Elfyn Evans stopped in the stage with broken rear-right suspension.

Ogier continued: “So maybe it’s a small kick in the a** for us to do better again.”

It’s fairly harsh feedback, considering Takamoto Katsuta still delivered a win for Toyota and both of the other teams suffered mechanical problems and failures too. But standards dropped in Ogier’s eyes, so he wanted to deliver a message.

“We were expecting at the beginning of the week, seeing the condition in recce, we knew it would be a tough challenge,” Ogier reasoned to DirtFish. “And I think we mentioned many, many times, the main thing will be to go through and there wasn’t any car going through without problems this weekend – everybody had a share of issues and some bigger, some smaller.

“Unfortunately for the three main cars of Toyota it was a big one, so yeah, that’s part of the game in Kenya. But still, I think [it was] not only the condition, I think we haven’t been at our best this weekend as a team.

“There were many things which could have been done better, and there’s an opportunity to discuss about it. And, you know, mistakes all happen in life. The important thing, if you want to be successful, is to don’t repeat it.

“So, yeah, analyzing that and be better for the future.”

Asked if Toyota could have been better prepared for Safari, Ogier replied “definitely” before adding this alternator problem was not brand-new.

He added: “I’ll say as a team, definitely you can say your engineers should have thought about it, but I should have thought about it maybe as well, you know. I also think that they had this issue last year, but OK the reality is more their part of the job than mine.

We win and we lose together. Sébastien Ogier

“But anyway we win and we lose together, so when I bring things it’s just to be constructive not to critique anybody – it’s just I’m tough on myself. I talk with my team, they know that already anyway.

“So it will not be a surprise if the debrief have some bit harsher word, but yeah, that’s the way you go forward in life sometimes. There are downs that you need to learn from and become even stronger.”

However, team-mate Evans didn’t think it was “entirely fair” to suggest Toyota was underprepared for Kenya.

“I think the team are always working very hard to achieve as much as we can to always improve,” he told DirtFish.

“Of course, many lessons to be learned from the weekend. I think, you know, part of the extreme conditions, all this water, definitely threw up a few issues. There’s no question about that.

“But I have no question that the team is still working hard.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Elfyn Evans, Safari Rally Kenya, Safari Rally Kenya 2026, Sébastien Ogier, Toyota, WRC 2026

Publish Date March 18, 2026 DirtFish

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Ogier emphasizes the need for Toyota to improve despite recent successes.

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This feedback highlights the importance of continuous learning in competitive sports.

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The Safari Rally is known for its challenging conditions, testing both drivers and teams.

Drivers will be drivers. They’ll always want more. They sort of have to. It’s the only way to keep the throttle down when you’re screaming through the forest upwards of 100 mph.

This sport demands it of you. It demands that you push and dig and that you never quite feel satisfied. It demands more.

But.

Last weekend, Aoife Raftery pushed, battled, dug deep, she was absolutely relentless – all the way to the second step of the podium in class. But what were her first words when she got out of the car at Parc Ferme?

“I just know I have more.”

Only outright rally winner Travis Pastrana finished ahead of Aoife in her class – a clear sign of her ability

She has more to give: more speed, more finesse.

I stood there for a second, considering a response, knowing, as a competitor, that I would say exactly the same thing. Knowing, as her team manager, that she had just blown the thing out of the water. Knowing, as her promoter, that she’d just set a pace no one expected. Yet wishing, as her friend, that somewhere in her brain there was an ounce of the pride I was feeling for her.

I don’t know if my response to her was perfect. I don’t know if she comprehends what she and her co-driver Ditte Kammersgaard just accomplished.

But I do know that I’m proud. I do know that the competitor in her is fierce. I do know that she won’t stop pushing. That’s why she’s a DirtFish Women In Motorsport Driver.

She has the fight. She has the grit and the tenacity and the commitment to carry it through. To keep going. To place second yet only see the desire to strive for first.

100 Acre Wood was a brilliant start. But Aoife isn't satisfied yet and is still pushing for more

She inspires; her fellow competitors, the little girls at parc expose, future drivers, and me. So take it in, Aoife. Even if you feel like it’s not enough yet. Even if you’re not convinced.

Take it in.

And know that we’re here, beyond grateful and proud to have you flying this flag. This is just the beginning.

Oh, and we’ll see you at Olympus.

Words:Josie Rimmer

Tags: 100 Acre Wood Rally 2026, Aoife Raftery, DirtFish WiM Program, DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver

Publish Date March 18, 2026 DirtFish

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Aoife Raftery's podium finish marks a promising start to her rally career.

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Her relentless drive sets a powerful example for aspiring female drivers in motorsport.

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Raftery is part of the DirtFish Women in Motorsport program, highlighting the growing support for women in racing.

Standing outside Aberdeen’s P&J Live, David Richards smiled at the memory of his first visit to Scotland’s north-east. Much has changed since he finished fourth with Tony Pond aboard a Triumph Dolomite Sprint on the 1976 Granite City Rally.

But on a blustery, early Spring Monday, just off the A96, it was hard to imagine a change bigger than the one DR had just pulled off.

As the architect of era-defining success for Subaru, the mentor of rallying’s most recognizable name in Colin McRae, the innovator who delivered a digital WRC and, of course, as a world champion himself, losing his home round of the World Rally Championship was a significant fail.

When the manufacturers packed up and departed the North Wales coast on Sunday October 6, 2019, there was a question mark over Britain’s WRC future. But nobody would have foreseen the eight-year gap which followed. For all its heritage, for all the stories of Colonel Loughborough’s victory on the original 1932 event; for all its history as a founding round of the World Rally Championship and the titles Britain’s forest roads had directed and dictated, it was cast out for almost a decade.

Nobody could have imagined GB would be absent from the calendar for so long after 2019

There was talk, more than talk – thanks to the likes of determined protagonists like Bobby Willis – of an asphalt-based Northern Irish event. Discussions were held with various bodies through the north of England. Nothing came of either, but Scotland remained and Scotland has delivered.

Richards is quick to deflect praise in the direction of those around him at Britain’s governing body, but the sigh of relief around Aberdeen on Monday was audible.

“Britain is back,” Richards told DirtFish. “I think for many years, you look at all other forms of motorsport, we’ve been a very strong participant. You look at the number of Formula 1 drivers we’ve got today, five British drivers on the grid. All in all, we are a powerhouse of motorsport and it’s only reasonable that we should have a round of the World Rally Championship – provided we can put on and make sure it’s equal of anywhere else in the world. And I’m sure it will be here in Aberdeen.

“Everybody here at Motorsport UK has done an amazing job to finally pull it off. And not that easy, I have to say, in this environment.

“We’ve had some disappointments en route, some abortive starts. But the reception we’ve had here has been overwhelmingly positive. The local council and the Aberdeenshire District Council and the Scottish Government themselves have all got behind it now and see the benefits of it. And it has, I agree, taken a long time to get back here, but let’s celebrate us being here now.”

Those celebrations will begin in the fall, 2027, and continue for a minimum of three years.

Richards’ role has evolved. Few understand the sport from as many different angles as he does, but as chairman of Motorsport UK, he has a responsibility which goes beyond the headlines and the handshakes.

More than ever, he understands the wide-ranging benefits a WRC round will bring.

“I firmly believe, while our focus as a governing body needs to be on the grassroots of motorsport and getting more people participating and enjoying motorsport, halo events like this are critical to that effort,” he explained. “We have Formula 1, this, we’re bringing back the World Endurance Championship next year to UK and Formula E. We’ve got all the great events coming to the UK now and they do form a definite sort of ambition for people and that gets people in at the lower levels.”

On different level, having the likes of Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg back on Britain’s forest roads could be vital in helping secure the future of the loose-surface sport in the UK. Finding agreement with Forestry and Land Scotland (an agency formerly known as the Forestry Commission) is a key to continuing the story of what a UK WRC round is all about.

“We’ve had our challenges [with rallying in the forests] and it’s understandable as well, given the environment we live in now. We’re addressing those issues. And I think we’ve got to show how we can be responsible users of the forests here in Scotland as well as in England and Wales and, you know, doing that properly will help secure a long, forward-history of future in the forests. I don’t think it’ll stop here.”

Part of the process towards WRC Rally Scotland 2027 is a candidate event later this season and delivering a world championship volunteer force once more.

“We’re in the middle of those discussions at the moment,” said Richards. “Obviously there’s detail to follow on that [event]. With the facilities we’ve got here, with the organization team that we’ve had in the past, I’m hoping that that will be a relatively straightforward process.

“In terms of the vital marshals and volunteers, we’ve continued training throughout this period. I believe, today, we’ve got a far more structured training program within the UK than we’ve ever had in the past. We will have to, sort of, bring everyone up to speed again on the world championship, but I’ve absolutely no doubt whatsoever that we’ve got the volunteers and the enthusiasm for it.”

Richards was fundamental in the evolution of rallying. When he took over as rights holder and promoter of the WRC at the top of the millennium, he had a vision to bring rallying to the masses and the manufacturers. His so-called cloverleaf format with a central service park delivered on that. In recent years, Richards has been mildly critical of the absence of further evolution since then.

Some details of next year's WRC Rally Scotland are still to be confirmed

Is now the time for him to start another revolution?

He offered: “I haven’t got involved in that level of detail, but we’re discussing it with the WRC Promoter and we’d be positive towards anything that works for spectators and works for the event. As you know, we’re always up for innovation.”

Flanked by FIA deputy president Malcolm Wilson, rallying’s rising star Max McRae and one of the heroes of last week’s Safari Rally Jon Armstrong, it was impossible not to get the feeling of a rally reborn.

He added: “Everybody remembered those roads in Wales, but you will find in the next couple of years people will be talking about these stages in Aberdeenshire with the same familiarity as they remember the likes of Hafren, Dyfi and Dyfnant.

“I remember competing up here on the Granite City [Rally]. They were great roads then and they’re great roads now.”

Close your eyes and you can almost smell the mud on the exhaust.

Words:David Evans

Tags: David Richards, Rally Scotland, WRC, WRC 2027

Publish Date March 17, 2026 DirtFish

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Lia Block says she has plenty more pace in her after finishing fourth on her Rally2 debut at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.

The 19-year-old won her first ever stage in the American Rally Association National Championship last weekend, switching from Rally3 to a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 alongside co-driver Alex Gelsomino.

She briefly led the event on Saturday morning but eventually came home fourth – just 3.1 seconds shy of the podium and 3.5s adrift of second place.

That result, coupled to fourth on the powerstage, earned her important points for the championship after she was excluded from the season-opening Sno*Drift Rally for outside assistance.

“Obviously this was my first ever rally in an RC2 car and it was really, really fun,” Block told DirtFish. “This is a really fast rally so it’s all about commitment and confidence.

“I’m a little bit disappointed right now because we were literally separated by three seconds to second, but honestly looking back on it, not being hard on myself, it was a great debut; awesome.

“I think we have a lot to build on and there’s a lot more time that we can salvage. And we finished – the first rally of the year I’ve finished.”

Although Block tested her PCRS-run Hyundai prior to 100 Acre Wood, nothing beats competition experience. The data, and onbaord videos, she garnered from round two will help her as she prepares for the Olympus Rally presented by DirtFish (April 17-19).

“There’s so much data and video we can go back over, so we can know exactly what we need to improve going into the next rally,” Block, who is carrying DirtFish Women in Motorsport stickers on her Hyundai for the entire 2026 season, explained.

“Obviously I’m still getting to know the car and the limitations, but we can go back to the drawing board and know what we need to change or what can stay the same. There’s definitely lots to uncover before the next rally.”

Block’s competition better be ready too, as she’s not planning on finishing behind them at future events.

“Obviously getting my first stage win in American rally is probably the biggest high ever, and by quite a bit of a margin. And the fact that this whole field is so tight, the top-five being separated within a couple of seconds to the end, I think that’s the first time we’ve seen in a long time in ARA,” she said.

“So I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and the competition being that tight, but I’m not going to let too many more people beat me!”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: ARA, ARA 2026, Lia Block, Women in motorsport

Publish Date March 17, 2026 DirtFish

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